


The Hunter

by Adishailan



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Eren, BAMF levi, Because there is not enough BAMF Eren, Blood and Gore, Eren needs a hug, Families of Choice, Friendship, Humor, Hunter Eren, Loneliness, M/M, Monsters, Multilingual Character, Rating May Change, Self-Esteem Issues, Slow Burn, Tags May Change, Titan Eren Yeager, Titan Shifters, because duh, mentions of child abuse, really slow burn, some spoilers ahead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-04-09 22:59:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 58,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4367534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adishailan/pseuds/Adishailan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The hunter is a monster, a titan, not a boy.<br/>This is a fact he has known for as long as he has lived in the forest, for as long he can remember.<br/>The forest is quiet but for the crooning of birds, the rush of misty water into the hidden valleys and the deep lumbering steps of his kin.<br/>That is until the day that changes everything. The day the humans came. The day he saw his human for the first time.<br/>One the hunter will never forget. </p><p>"The newest arrival was a 15 meter but quite unlike any Titan they had ever seen. It was thin and lean with muscles on its muscles. Sunken eyes sharp and glowing, really glowing, green over a hooked nose. Lipless serrated teeth formed a strange mocking Cheshire smile as it looked at them. It then fell to it's haunches and propelled itself forward with truly frightening speed.<br/>Cries of panic ran through the squadron as they attempted to spur the exhausted horses even faster. This panic gave way to shock however when the green eyed Titan pivoted, rapidly changing direction and barreling into the group of Titans, toppling them over like wooden bowl pins.<br/>There was a moment of silence in the squad then-<br/>"WHAAAAT?!" Exclaimed Hanji in extreme disbelief."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The deviant

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! I hope people like this story, it's been buzzing around my head for a long time now, along with my other fic. I like to have two stories going at the same time, so if I ever get stuck I can just work on the other for a bit until inspiration strikes me again.  
> Just want to shout out a quick thanks to STCabbie who helped me beta the first and second chapter.  
> I am looking for a new beta to help me with the rest of my fic so if there is anyone out there who likes the look of this and think they can help me improve on it (slash tell me off for my bad spelling), I would love to hear from you.
> 
> Alright onto the story. Hope you enjoy :)

Steam rises high, bones click and fall. 

 

_What happened?_

 

Turn away from dissolving blood and flesh. See a deer, stare at each other; slight limp in its gait.

 

 The hunter recognises the young doe. The doe does not; it leaves. 

 

 _Sigh_. 

 

Trees shake, wind blows, smell of foul blood burning away. 

 

Fresh scent instead. Sweeter smelling…

 

_What is it?_

 

* * *

 

 

_Damn it..._

_DAMN IT._

_That idiot. That dead idiot_ , Levi thought, looking high above at the half eaten cadet softly swaying in the wind, a steady trickle of blood streaming from their mouth into a small pool of red on the forest floor. 

Dappled sunlight shone down on the vivid crimson stained grass. A wood pigeon crooned low as the leaves rustled and branches creaked in the warm rush of wind. 

A slow steady stomp on the ground caused his eyes to flicker open again. 

When did he close them? 

He needs to get up. He needs to-

He stops his struggle to move when his eyes find his gear, the cables snapped from when the new recruit’s hefty weight fell on him, propulsion missing from those desperate fingers scrabbling in mindless fear, catching at his gas tank. 

Levi looked up as the heavy thudding steps stopped. 

 _An 8 meter_ , he estimated as his eyes focused on a soft screaming smile and glazed grey eyes wide in delight. 

“Ugly shit,” muttered Levi, straining again to sit up, ignoring the tacky feeling of the bright red blood oozing down his face. 

The world seemed to dim for a moment, the bird song loud in the darkening forest.

Then he moved, blades in hand, slicing down on the creature's outstretched arm. 

Breathing heavily, sweat heavy on his brow, Levi moved again. He ignored it all: the dim edges to his vision, the constant thrumming ache in his head, the sharp pain in his shaking arms and legs.

His blades flashed in a beam of sunlight. Heavy steps and loud breath were the only sounds filling the dell apart from the incessant cooing of birds and the far off strum of a woodpecker searching for food. 

Then a new sound- no- an old sound, familiar and hated.   

Thudding footsteps echoed through the dell as Levi weaved through the Titan’s fingers, slicing and chopping and fighting with every breath. Breaths which were becoming harder and harder to draw in as his vision of the monster wavered and faded in his eyes. 

Then the monstrous thuds stopped and Levi jumped back to observe the newest arrival. 

A 15 meter Titan stood before them, faint puffs of steam circling its lean muscular body. It was obviously a deviant type, standing still, observing what was occurring with lightning fast eyes over a gaping jaw of serrated teeth. 

 _Huh... turquoise eyes..._ Levi thought sluggishly. Something was- something was wrong...

Thick fingers grasped at him and he turned slowly, agonisingly slowly, to see the wide ugly maul of the smaller Titan spreading wide ( _when did it get so close?_ ) flesh splitting and ripping in its cheeks, spraying blood and strands of skin, as it prepared to eat. 

Levi held his blade tightly in his one free arm- but he never got to use it. The Titan never got to eat. 

Instead he was thrown back as a gigantic bare foot crashed down into the monster's jaw. Pummelling flesh and tooth and tongue into one gruesome, mashed up lump.  

Levi looked up from the mossy ground in disbelief as the second Titan brought its foot down twice on the nape, sharply twisting and ceasing the thing's quivering struggles. 

Darkness finally won against the corners of Levi's vision as the deviant Titan bent over him, blue green eyes wide and alive.  

 

* * *

 

"It's the Corporal!"

- _Faint light, streaming through green and brown glowing sky-_

"What happened to him?"

-  _Scratching softness enveloping his leaden limbs-_

"Corporal! Are you okay?"

- _a soft sound, someone moving_ -

"Bloody hell, give him room!"

- _shut up, so tired, just so_ -

"Corporal Levi! Are you awake?"

Levi opened his eyes to see the darkening blue green sky above him.

 _Wrong shade_ , he thought briefly before wondering why. 

"Thank God! He's awake! Call Hanji," came a voice distracting him from his soft musings. 

He blinked then blinked again as memories wavered and floated to the surface of his bone tired mind. 

Levi was on his feet within moments, fighting the sick feeling crawling up from his stomach. 

"Woah there Levi. Looks like You've had a bad injury to your head, you shouldn't move," came the perpetually cheerful voice of Hanji. Levi twisted around to see a flash of light glancing of Hanji’s filthy glasses as they leaned up against the side of the wooden cart he now realised he had been put in.

"Titan. Killed. How?" He breathed out, trying to focus on the red head's face, scowling at its difficulty. 

"Shan't tell you anything Corp, till you sit down," chided Hanji in an annoying tone. 

"Tch!" Spat Levi as he sat back down against an empty crate, eyeing the collection of similarly empty wagons parked around them.

"We found you here less than half an hour ago. With your head already bandaged. Whoever did that isn't owning up though,"

Images of the foot crashing down to earth were filling Levi's mind. 

"Was I going crazy?" He murmured "That Titan..."

"Titan?" Asked the curious Titan Crazy scientist. 

For a moment Levi considered telling them what he had seen. 

"Ugh..." No, he wasn't going to do that. What could he say? A Titan saved him? That was **impossible**. Also Hanji was likely to believe him and try to send their half dead squad back to get it. 

 _And I suppose it also tended to my wounds?_ He thought sarcastically... He must have been going crazy. 

"Most... likely... someone just doesn't want attention brought to them. I can respect that even if I don't understand it."

"Probably they didn't want to get in trouble for using your favourite shirt as bandages," Hanji stated with a small hum. 

Levi, looked down at his bare chest and strove to ignore the faint hint of worry in their tone, along with the green eyes staring at him across his memories. 

"Let's move out," he stated impassively, looking back to the forest they were leaving.

He sighed and turned to stare out at the golden horizon before them, just missing the large pair of eyes that watched them leave from high in the trees. 


	2. Hunting memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! Wow, thanks to all the people who left kudos and comments on my first chapter. It's really great to get such positive feedback so quickly! As a thank you here's an extra long installment.  
> I think my chapters will probably be about this size from now on so I hope you all like longer chapters.
> 
> This also marks the end to the beta read chapters (thanks again STCabbie) so if anyone is interested in some beta work I would love to hear from you.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> p.s. here's a picture of a drey http://wildoakland.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/squirrel-drey.jpg just imagine the squirrel is Eren :P

 

* * *

 

_Two years later_

 

* * *

 

 

Rain seemed to float through the air, sunlight streaming down, forming hundreds of small golden beads of light as the Hunter moved through the trees, fast as a swooping swallow.  

Legs pointing tightly together, he pushed himself up and up with those black vines until there was no more branches to use, no higher height he could reach. 

He hovered in the sky for a moment, body light, ragged green cloak flowing high above him, shaggy brown hair whipping around in the steady beat of wind and rain, before plummeting down again, crude spear in hand as he sliced down on the neck of his target. A medium type Titan who had, for the last ten minutes or so, been gormlessly trying to follow his movements. 

He pushed off the thing's already-dissolving back and shot forwards the vine again, zooming forwards through the trees as another wave of golden water hit him. Spinning mid-air, he twirled the spear as the liquid arced off of him. 

Letting the vine release he fell into a tree, jumping from branch to branch, using the silver bottled air to propel him onwards to the next tree. He didn't need much what with the way his body could, at will, become abnormally feather light, but he still conserved what little of the strange stuff he needed as he danced joyfully through the branches and trees, spying out for the lumbering bloated forms of his unevolved brethren. 

Another stood tall in a clearing, medium type, eyes (again) glazed but heading purposefully forwards. Obviously it was one of the strange ones, but the Hunter would not be distracted by this. 

With a deep growling roar he threw himself forward, spear spinning in his hand to gain momentum and force before he sliced it through the thing's nape, felling it before it even knew it’s skin was breached. 

He jumped up into the trees again with a joyful feral snarl as he surveyed his work. 

Each day he grew closer and closer to those images in his mind. Green figures flying in the air, but not with a bird’s desperate spluttering struggle of wings against the deep pull of the earth. If the hunter knew of dancing he would have likened their movement through the air to it, cutting down their attackers in fluid pirouettes and slicing leaps. 

The hunter did not know what dancing was though.

What he did know what that his small spinning man was the best… green cloak with wings on his back, silver blades in hand, grounded yet fighting to the last breath and beyond, small against the forest floor compared to the salivating giant before it. 

He remembered… 

 

* * *

 

**Not moving, barely breathing, as ferocity and strength condensed into one small figure fought against the hunger.**

**_Another human! Another real human!_ **

**Then the smell of blood wafted over. The human was injured.**

**For a moment his mouth pooled with saliva but he quickly shook his head.**

**_No. Just no._ **

**_Never._ **

**He took several thundering steps forwards, stopping when the small human's eyes found his. Dazed with blood the small creature met his gaze without fear.**

**This surprised the Hunter for he knew what he looked like. What he was.**

**Then the human was about to be eaten and the Hunter was suddenly moving.**

**It was painfully easy for him to kill the other Titan. Compared to the forceful struggle and the bright beauty of those flying humans from before, and the now sleeping one before him, it felt... empty somehow.** **But at that time he couldn't think of why. Instead he tentatively cradled the all but broken human in his hand and left the red scented grove.**

**He breathed in deeply, eyes flickering from tree to tree until he found one of his old dreys, a little nest of branches, grass and moss high in the tree tops. He had only used this one twice before, if his memory served right, but a weave of grass still covered it and it looked warm enough.**

**Slowly, carefully he climbed up the large tree, placing the sleeping human on a higher branch near the large hollow mound of soft bark and dry grass, high above any wondering jaws.**

**With a deep breath the Hunter fixed his hand over the branch and concentrated.**

**Pain erupted like goosebumps over his body, like liquid metal had solidified through his veins only to be sharply, agonisingly ripped out. He wrenched his head back, small eyes opening wide to searing white light.**

**Taking a deep breath of steaming blood filled air he pulled his shuddering arms and legs out of the red muscles that encased them.**  U **nsteadily he climbed his other body's arm before it dissolved too much. He had to hurry, already the grip slackened.**

**Running now he leaped forwards just in time to reach the branch as the flesh melted away and the body fell back onto the forest floor with a echoing thud.**

**Ignoring his own body spread out, broken on the grass so far below he jumped up to the next branch to examine the human.**

**Soft pained puffs of breath escaped the small human as he bent over it, his slim smooth hands weaving through its hair as he checked for injuries.**

**It made a soft noise, huffing slightly in its sleep and the Hunter froze, staring down at it. The human didn't wake however, simply wincing faintly in its sleep before it's brow smoothed and body calmed.**

**The hunter's ocean eyes flickered over it. The human was larger than him... this caused the Hunter to puff out a faint breath of amusement.**

**_Still not the same size._ **

**He shook himself free of these thoughts, instead sliding his hands under the human’s head and legs to carefully pick it up and place it within his soft moss carpeted drey. He hunched down to squeeze in after it, quickly ripping strips of material off of the human's chest for his crude bandages.**

**_Hmm... Definitely a male human..._ **

**He wondered why humans wore so much over their bodies. Surely it did not help with their movements. He understood having coverings over the hips as it was good for bearing weight and a useful place to attach knifes and pouches for objects like he did but... the Hunter shook his head at the bizarre habits of humans and busied himself with his work.**

**As the Hunter bustled around the cramped drey, humming faintly while collecting dry moss and grass, he missed the human's grey eyes opening into faint slits for a moment before drifting shut again.** **He did, however, notice when the human's breathing evened out and deepened.**

**He brought his small hand across the human's bare chest and worried for a moment at the coldness seeping over him.**

**_Damn it._ _I don't know enough about humans._ _Are they supposed to be this cold?_  **

**He forcibly focused instead on wrapping the head with the dried vegetation and strips of white material like he had done for the deer with the broken leg.**

**Not too tight but enough to secure, to stop the bleeding.** **He had to be so very light with his touch.**

**Breathing through his nose to avoid tasting the scent of blood and focused on his task, he didn't notice the Titans below them until the tree started to shake.**

**He pushed his head out of the small entrance of the drey and looked down briefly at his two brethren, who mournfully clawed at the base of the thick trunk, before snorting and turning back to his work.**

**For a moment the Hunter simply looked at his finished handy work, then his eyes travelled down to the human's face.**

**How different it was to those he saw each day. Small, perfectly formed, not deformed at all. The Hunter's eyes roamed from small nose and thin pale lips to dark lashes and shadowed tired eyes.**

**His hands inched forward, ghosting over the narrow chin. A faint sense of warmth seeping through the small gap between the human's skin and his finger tips.**

**Then the tree shook again and the hunter sighed, pulling back his fingers and instead wrapping his human in the green sheet he wore to pull him carefully out of the rough shelter.**

**Because that was what he was now. His human. As if he was going to let those lumbering fools eat him!**

**He jumped from the branch, the palm of his right hand in his mouth, snorting again as he saw the ugly things underneath open their jaws wide as if they could swallow him whole.**

**Instead their jaws were pulverised into the forest floor as a pair of giant feet smashed down. He slammed down his fists on what was left of their necks once more as he impatiently waited for the bones and flesh on his feet to click back into place and mend.**

**It was difficult to pick up his human now. Conscious of the bloody wounds and scared of jostling him, the hunter moved agonisingly slowly up and down the tree and through the forest, holding his human in the palm of his hand as he followed the faint scent of the rest of the humans.**

**He moved even slower and silently as the scent grew stronger.**

**Yes he admired these creature's fluid forms and wind like fighting, but much like another would have admired fire or lightning.**

**Beautiful but dangerous.**

 

* * *

 

 

The hunter blinked now, tearing his thoughts away from what happened next all those years ago. He didn't wa- didn't  **need**  to think about _that_ moment again. 

Instead he sighed and moved further up into the tree, tying his cable to one of the branches and anchoring himself down. There were no dreys nearby tonight. He would have to be exposed to the elements, it didn’t really matter too much to him.

Rain continued to stream down his face, inky and black now as the storm clouds consumed the last hints of the golden sunset. 

The night was filled with the heavy sound of rainfall, the steady beat of droplets on the earth, the slapping noise on the leaves. The sounds a deafening roar and soothing melody at the same time as the hunter lay back, pulling the hood up, water steaming up in clouds from his body as he tried to rest. 

However the images continued to flash through his mind. 

 

* * *

 

 

**Finally he had turned away from the edge of the forest, long after the last humans had faded from sight, moving slowly across the forest and finding the dell where he saw his human.**

**Now all that remained was the scent of blood and- something hanging down from the trees.  
**

**As he got closer he realised it was human shaped and his pace sped up, only to slow again when the lack of a chest became apparent.  
The hunter had a limited knowledge of humans but even he knew that they needed those to live. **

**The forest was quiet as he watched the former human sway silently in the wind.  
**

**Suddenly a deep anger clawed up through his chest, choking his very breath as he bent over, unable to look up at the sad little thing.  
**

**_So much like him... Like her...  
_ **

**Its nape was intact but humans were much more delicate than Titans...  No steam would build as it mended itself. The humans could not mend like that, much like he couldn't as fast while in the similar form.**

**...Yet the Titans continued to attack and try to eat them.** **Why? It wasn't like they needed food. The sun has always been enough for the Hunter.**

**Slowly he lifted up his huge hand to pick up the human, gently pulling the vines out of the nearby trees and maneuvering it out of the stringed belt.**

**He stared at it, wondering faintly if it was like his human or not. Its face was broader with light red hair and it seemed to be larger and hefty in comparison.**

**He wasn't sure how long he simply looked at the human's body, eyes mapping the tiny scratches on it's pale face and the pattern of weaving in it's clothes, before he decided he should do something with the body. He didn't want the other Titans eating any more humans today.**

**He picked up the figure and the strings that once were attached to them and moved further into the forest.**

**Another splash of blood scent in the wind and he stopped again. This one was on the ground this time, the wind rustling through its long sand coloured hair.**

**The hunter bent down and picked it up, freeing it from its wires and heavy objects.**

**This one was different again, thinner and slighter with dried tear tracks on its pale blood-flecked face. He looked at the slender frame and compared it with an old memory.**

**_T_** ** _his one is female_ ** **, he realised.**

**By the end of the day he ended up collecting two dozen of those bodies and with each the pit of pain and burning inside became larger and larger, making his eyes scratch and chest wheeze as he gently stroked the smallest one's sun toned hair.**

**He removed the metal belts from each and wrapped all but three of them (of which there was so little to wrap he removed their sheets and objects and placed them together) in their green sheets like he did with his human.**

**Only these ones didn't pull in small tight breaths. They were still, frozen in place, mutilated.**

**He took them to the caves and pushed them deep inside, away from the reach of most of his kind.** **To protect them from _all_ of his kind, he placed rocks in front of the entrance, cramming them in tight then setting a huge bolder he had seen not too great a distance away, in front to completely seal them in their chamber, undisturbed, together in their pretend slumber.  **

**But they were not asleep and he knew the reason why.**

**The Hunter growled low and deep.**

**It was time to live up to his name once again.**

 

* * *

 

 

A crash of lightning brought the hunter out of his mind again and he sat up, rain hammering even harder against him, soaking his cloak, managing to spread a chill through his limbs. 

Untangling the equipment from the branches, he sighed and jumped out of the tree, not using his silver air or vines as he free-fell to the earth. 

The Titan hunter hit the earth, sending waves of wet soil up into the air only to fall around his suddenly enormous frame with soft sodden thumps. 

He laid against the base of several trees, away from the worst of the wind and cold, in his larger body he  _always_  found the cold harder to reach him. 

He closed his eyes with a huffing breath, sleep still wasn’t coming…

 

* * *

 

**For a while after _the encounter_ he would visit the cave every day, staring at the large boulder, wanting oh so much to move it and see those small faces again, so much like his human's, so much like hers. **

**But he didn't.** **Instead he traced his sharp barbed fingers over the rocks, thinking of the small wings they wore on their backs.**

 **_How did they soar through the air like that? As if they had real wings, not just fake ones..._ ** **_No- they are different from birds- no spluttering, whistling flap of feather_ ** **_. They used vines and those silver belt things..._ **

**Those belt things which he still had...**

**He stood up to leave but then he paused, looking back at the caves.**

**Kneeling down on one knee he drew his sharp nails over the rock, creating crude round wings through deep cuts and cold stone.**

**He snorted out a deep breath of steam then stood and left.**

**He would never came back there again.**

**Instead he examined the belts high in one of his more up-kept dreys with small sensitive hands, while his other body decayed below, remembering the positions those humans were in while wearing them.**

**There was a lot of trial and error.**

**First he spent a week actually figuring out how to wear the thing. It wasn't based simply over the waist as he first thought. There seemed to be thinner vines crossing from where his feet were, to connect at the top of his thighs, across his hips and over his back.**

**The connections were hard to figure out but he remembered taking them off and thought carefully about how to put them on.**

**Many were in fact snapped so in the end he tied most of them tight together instead, using knots of tough grass to secure them. He had plenty of the black vine to tie though, he was much smaller than those humans in his little form.**

**The most important part was the belt though, which attached to the vines.**

**There was a large shiny cylinder which appeared to contain the thicker black vines and a smaller one which he didn't quite understand at first, he left it connected however and concentrated instead on how to shoot the vines out like he saw them do.**

**That one took a long time to figure out, especially as the belt he wore was missing parts. Something he did not realise until he punctured the silver vine container and looked for a replacement in the other belts.**

**After realising his error the Hunter made a point of comparing each piece of equipment, taking pieces out of one and fitting them to another to create a whole belt.** **After that it was a process of elimination to figure out how to fire the things.**

**The first time he got it, squeezing the silver handle, he found himself pulled face first into a tree.**

**After that he was slightly more careful.**

**He found himself several days later balancing between two trees. Face working up a sweat as he struggled to remain upright.**

**He held a new respect for those humans.**

**_How did they even stay upright in these stupid things?_ **

**Every day he debated throwing the blasted things down to the bottom of the hidden valleys but then images of flying green cloaks and silver spinning arcs of fight and power would fill his mind and he would think…**

**_One more. One more time._ **

**And one day he woke up, put on the gear and was able to do it- until he fell face forward into a branch one minute later.**

**Well… it was still an improvement.**

**Shaking himself off and reattaching the vines, he made ready to start again.**

* * *

 

 

Hunter sighed to himself now, shrouding his body in mist as he once again tried to concentrate on resting, calming his excitable mind that wished to continue with its exhilarating flight in the dark, no matter that the sun was gone. 

He turned over and stared at the mud beneath his palm. Slowly he pulled his finger along the soil, carefully dragging it along and smiling as the indents took shape. 

A thin chin, narrowed eyes, hair falling evenly onto his face. 

He blinked and suddenly the image became simple lines in the earth. 

He snorted and kicked his foot through it, turning away to look out at the sky instead, watching the rain drops grow larger and larger till they broke themselves on his skin. 

Rest was a long time coming. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Levi isn't the first human Eren has ever met. This woman Eren knew however hasn't been around for a long long time and he can't be expected to remember everything about her kind, especially as he was really young at the time.


	3. The start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! I found a new beta, Frantastic1993 (from FF) and they're a keeper! She's been both fabulous and fun and I recommend checking out some of her work.  
> Anywho :) onto the next chapter. I really hope you all like this and I am amazed at the number of kudos and lovely comments I'm getting. Thanks a lot you guys, you're being amazingly supportive :) x

* * *

 

 

The hunter sniffed. Eyes blearily opening as a delicious scent filled his senses. 

 _Humans_ … 

He blinked again in the soft morning light, stiffly turning his head towards the scent. 

_The humans were back?_

Faint sounds of running horses and zipping vines filled his ears and he woke in earnest, standing tall. For a moment he considered running to them but then he looked down at his body.

 _Right... Titan_... they would try to kill him on the spot. Humans didn’t like titans… understandable really. The hunter nodded to himself; he knew what to do.

Within minutes the small bare chested hunter flew high in the tree tops, following the unmistakable fragrance of humans, stopping only when he heard the familiar whizzes and clangs of the black vines moving much closer to him.

Hiding behind a thick branch, he watched as the green cloaked humans slowly make their way through His forest far below. 

 _Why are they so close to the ground? Why aren’t they using the branches to help with their speed and movement?_ He thought as he squinted at the humans in confusion. _They’ll use up all of their silver air if they carry on like that… oh **that's** why they're moving so slowly_ , he decided as he watched them fly through his home. 

Well they needed to move faster. If he could smell them, with his subpar sense of smell, the other Titans definitely could. 

 _If they hadn't already_ , he thought as the honeyed scent of fresh blood wafted through with a soft northern wind. 

Pulling up his hood, a fresh wave of anger and rage overtook him, driving him forwards after the humans when he saw the lumbering horde of Titans following them. He slowed his pace, waiting for the right moment, then propelled himself up as high as he could and barrelled down, spear spinning and shining in the faint light.

Down he went, faster than the eye could track, cutting deep into the largest's neck with the tip of his weapon, ignoring the ribbons of flesh blooming in his wake as he used the momentum and spear to vault onto the next Titan's outstretched arm.

It was another large type, chest deformed and twisted to its right side. This made no difference to the hunter though as he flipped backwards over its too large a head, slicing and hacking through flesh and bone, using the spear as an anchor as he spiralled round its neck.   

He jumped off, using his vines to get to a larger height before rapidly spinning mid-air, changing direction and harshly cutting down on the third (medium type) Titan's neck.

"Look! The Commander came to save us!" 

"Wait..."

"What is he using? That’s not a titan blade,”

"That's not the Commander! He's too short,"

“Who is that?!"

He ignored the human's noises again, concentrating on bringing down the last two Titans, who seemed to have finally noticed him. Growling and hissing, the hunter leapt from the dissolving corpse onto the thing's outstretched arm. He ran along it and jumped up high when it brought its jaws forward, to where he was a split second before, with an echoing clack. 

"Watch out!" Came one of the human voices a second too late. 

The hunter, again, ignored them; jumping on the titan's bald crown and sliding down the back of its neck, spear carving a deep jagged line as gravity did its work. 

Digging it in at the nape he pushed himself up, yanking his weapon out before jumping clear of the dying monster-

-and almost into the hand of the other.  

He swivelled his hips and shot his cables into a nearby tree, yanking himself out of the way just in time as the dirty fingers squeezed and grasped at empty air, thick dirt encrusted nails just clipping his left leg to send faint stabbing needle points of pain through it. 

Two seconds to breathe, to push the pain away again, then he was moving, vines snapping forward to both sides of the creatures face, propelling him forward into the thing's gaping maul. 

"No!"

"Stop!"

"What the hell?!"

The voices fell silent as the hunter brought down the blunt side of the spear on the bottom of the thing’s gaping jaw and vaulted over it, nimbly swinging upside down to slice at the back of the neck like a hot poker through ice. 

The creature went down and the hunter stayed up, speedily using the vines to secure himself to a nearby tree, bracing himself with his uninjured right leg

Breathe in, breathe out. 

He closed his eyes and shook his head trying to clear his thoughts as he watched the last of the titan's flesh melt into bone. 

_Hmm... Fading faster today. Must be the grey sky..._

The sound of vines snapping near him alerted him to the incoming humans. For a second he made to put his hand to his nape but then he recalled he was in their form. They wouldn't suspect- at least not straight away. 

"That was amazing!" Cried one in a high voice as it landed on a nearby branch. 

"You saved us. Thank you" said another as it landed with a lower more mellow voice. 

"How did you move so fast? I could barely see you!"

There was more and more patters of feet as the humans landed, talking to him, looking at him, trying to peer into the shadows of his hood from where he faced the tree. 

 _Shit_. 

"Who are you?"

How would they not notice? He would give away that he wasn't human in no time. He only had the vaguest understandings of how they worked and talked, having only ever really known one human properly and that was- well it was a long time ago… sure he could understand a bit of what they said but talking **_to_** them? And if they saw his face-

He was dead, they would all fly down as one with their blades and-

"I don't recognise him..."

"...He's really short..." said one in a quiet considering voice. 

"Is his leg okay?"

"-I mean  _really_  short-"

"What's your name?" Asked a soft gentle voice. 

“- Like he sort of looks like he’s a-”

He had to get out of there. 

His vines snapped out of the tree and he plummeted to the ground, ignoring (or trying to ignore) the cries behind him, before pushing forward and slingshotting high into the tree tops. 

There he stopped, slamming himself back against the trunk, ignoring the numb humming feeling encasing his leg as he listened to the startled shouts from below. 

"Did you see how fast he moved!?"

"Where did he go? It looked like he fell to the ground!"

"He's not there!"

"E- Everyone. We don't have time for this. We've got to get back to the others before more Titans come... I'm sure he's heading the same way."

The hunter could smell the fear they carried from the canopy he rested in. 

He sighed out in relief as they left, heading away towards-

The sense of relief stopped. 

Those fools were heading towards the scent of blood. 

 

* * *

 

"Remind me why we are here again?" Asked Hanji in a bored voice, only just loud enough to be heard over the screaming soldiers and the exhausted whinnying of the horses.

Commander Keith Shadis gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the annoyingly calm corporal as they sped like lightning through the trees, briefly running his free hand through his stubbly hair. 

"You'll make yourself go bald if you keep that up," Hanji smiled lazily. 

The Commander looked behind them at the horde of Titans following them and ground his teeth yet again as he spurred his horse on. 

“Least of my problems. This forest is fucking cursed," He spat out, sharp eyes constantly sweeping over his surroundings and what was left of his squad.

"And also unfortunately a source for good quality natural gas," chipped in one of the sergeants by their side with a manic smile and huge grey sideburns. 

"How's the second squad captain doing?" Hanji asked him. 

"Still out cold, stupid horse. Calvary training has been seriously going-" 

"How many following now?" Shadis tersely interrupted them.

"Ten. It was twenty but the diversion teams have drawn away five each," reported the sergeant, expression now grim. 

Shadis’s face set.  Five each... Those soldiers were lost now. They wouldn't even be able to get their bodies back. He had sent them to their deaths and they _still_ had 10 Titans on their backs and not the small kind either. 

"How many do we have in the air?" 

"Not enough to take down ten sir. We have about twenty in the air with us now but many are freshly trained and gas is running low. They will need to replace their canisters."

"Sir!" A new breathless voice called out. 

Shadis and Hanji turned to see a white-haired soldier approach with a strange look on his face. 

"Diversion team two are back."

Hanji's eyebrows reached their messy, auburn hairline in surprise. 

"Casualties?"

"Only two, there are twelve additional able-bodied soldiers now available sir. They report that the Titans have been disposed of by an unidentified soldier."

"What?!" Exclaimed Hanji and the sergeant. 

"No time for that." Interrupted Shadis "We're not going to be able to keep the horses going at this speed. We need to lighten the load. Order everyone to get their manoeuvre gear ready. The first division will keep the horses in formation. Everyone else is to clear a path for us to get out of this damn forest."

"Sir!" A blond, flying soldier dropped onto the horse by the Commander’s side. "We need to change direction! There's a gorge in front of us," 

"What the hell!?" Shouted the corporal. 

"Bank left!" Shouted Shadis urgently. 

"Sir, left has no path for the horses."

"Correct, however, on our right is a damn cliff face. I think we will have to risk a few fucking trips!" 

"Sir we could-" the soldier suddenly stopped speaking. 

Hanji looked around, curious about why the blond woman had suddenly fallen silent. It soon became apparent as they saw what was behind them.  No longer did ten Titans that run behind them. It was now eleven. 

The newest arrival was a fifteen metre and quite unlike any Titan they had ever seen. It was thin and lean with muscles on its muscles. Sunken eyes sharp and glowing, actually glowing, green over a hooked nose. Lipless serrated teeth formed a strange mocking Cheshire smile as it looked at them. It then fell to its haunches and propelled itself forward with truly frightening speed. 

Cries of panic ran through the squadron as they attempted to spur the exhausted horses even faster. This panic gave way to shock however when the green eyed Titan pivoted, rapidly changing direction and barrelling into the group of Titans, toppling them over like wooden bowl pins. 

There was a moment of silence in the squad then-

"WHAAAAT?!" Exclaimed Hanji in extreme disbelief. 

The others did not seem to have enough control of their voices to express the same sentiment but their flabbergasted faces voiced it well enough. 

"Commander- the gorge," said the soldier, voice strained as they tried to tear their eyes from the deviant Titan. 

"R- right- everyone is to-"

"Turn around," interrupted Hanji. "There's no way forward or right. Left is too unpredictable, we will not be able to avoid incoming Titans  _and_  keep the horses. We double back while we can with the deviant distracting the others and bank to the right when the trees clear again"

"You want us to ride into that horde of Titans?!" Exclaimed sergeant sideburns (Hanji couldn't be bothered less about learning his name.) 

"Yup," they said with a cheeky pop of their lips. 

"That is a shit plan. But it’ll have to do," sighed the Commander and, to the disbelief of everyone (including Hanji), he followed through with the orders. 

"Those on manoeuvre gear! You are to deal with any Titan that gets close to us, do not engage unless they do! We have as many people in the air as possible, behind the horses to direct the attention away"

The orders rippled through the squad as they slowed to a stop and turned around. Fear filled the faces of every cadet as they turned to face the jaws of death-

-And then everyone saw what was happening back there and fear took a back seat.

"Hold!" Called the Commander, watching the scene before them with disbelieving eyes. 

An ear splitting roar echoed through the trees as the fifteen metre ploughed its fist though face after face, kicked the smaller ones like paper balls high over the monstrously tall treetops and bit deep on the nape of a Titan, shaking it like a dog before throwing its remains into the small number that was left, knocking them down. 

No one made any sign to move. Anyone who went near that would be squashed flat. Moreover every single person found their breath caught in their throat, unable to move a muscle in the face of that whirlwind of destructive force. Every person except for Hanji who was vibrating in their seat, drool dribbling down their chin. 

"Must. Make. Notes." They hyperventilated, scrabbling blindly in their saddle bag for paper and ink. 

"It's killing its own kind,' stated the stupefied Sergeant Sideburn. 

"It's winning," added the blond soldier as the Titan stomped down on one of their necks, separating the head with the sheer force of its movements with a sound like gurgling gunfire. 

Another resounding roar and the aberrant turned to the remaining Titans, moving amazingly fast between them, dodging and weaving, pouncing on their backs like an animal and eating into their spines.

"Think I'm gonna be sick," muttered the blond soldier as, with its thick serrated teeth, the deviant pulled out a gleaming white and red fleshy spine half way out of a titan's neck with a sickening wet gargle of spinal fluid and blood before letting the creature flop and bounce to the ground in a sloppy heap. 

The Titan then turned to the last survivor and in a movement to fast to track, was behind it, pummelling its head down into its chest then pushing it down to the earth to stomp down on what little was left of its nape, spraying blood and bone and brain matter everywhere; carpeting the mossy forest floor in wet gore. 

With a deep huffing breath the aberrant stood up and looked around itself, for a moment unaware it had run out of enemies until its eyes fell of the frozen humans, whereupon it's echoing breath seemed to stutter in its chest. 

Humans and Titan held themselves still as they looked at each other, for minutes that seemed to spread into hours. Its green eyes flickered from human to human, gaze piercing and intense. 

"It's not attacking us," murmured Shadis quietly " _why_ is it not attacking us?" 

The Titan's eyes snapped to him and the soldiers around them tensed, hands on their swords- and the moment was broken, the Titan moved, but instead of attacking them it did what none of them expected, it turned and ran, hand climbing up to its neck, protecting its nape. 

"Keith!" Exclaimed Hanji, panic filling them at the thought of letting this discovery go. 

"After it Hanji! But keep your distance" Shadis commanded before turning to direct others to do the same. 

But Hanji didn't hear any more. They were already out of their saddle, flying high into the sky after the aberrant’s retreating back. Hanji literally could not hold in the excitement, yelling for joy as they chased after their discovery, speeding up after it as fast as they could go. 

The aberrant looked around, catching sight of them with wide, sunken teal-green eyes before turning back and putting forth an extra burst of speed, huffing out large breaths of steam. The world became white and muted as Hanji and the cadets entered the cloud. 

"To the trees!" Ordered Hanji, suddenly aware of their vulnerable position and the Titan they grew to suspect held a greater intelligence than they had ever seen before. 

"Did you see? Did you SEE that?! It used the steam as a cover!" They squealed to one of the nearby soldiers who stared at them incredulously. 

The wind picked up, whistling through the trees and herding the fog away to reveal something... something **horrific**.

Hanji screamed on the top of their lungs, tears welling and seeping down their dirt stained face as they saw the body below them. 

"NOOOO!" They screeched again, jumping down with their gear to the steaming carcass.  

But it was far too late. The nape was split wide, flesh dissolving under their fingers as they scrabbled over the body. Hands pulled them up, away from their discovery. Oh their poor **poor** discovery. 

"Who. Killed. Him?" They breathed, face wet with their unsuppressed pain.  

No one had an answer for them. 

 

* * *

 

The hunter threw himself against the tree trunk, pale and shaking as watery blood dribbled down from his nose. Queasy shivers raked his frame, his head light and vision dizzy. 

He didn't usually transform so much over the short span. He was much better than he was when he was- when he was little- littler than now... but there were  _still_  limits. 

He should have stayed in his large form to defend that first herd of humans or he should have stayed in his small form to fight-

-Well maybe not the latter. He was definitely not ready to take on so many in that form. The first lot had been hard enough he felt, thinking back to the numbing pain that had taken his leg before his transformation. But when he had seen that larger group, fleeing for their lives he had to make a decision. 

It surprised him how quickly he made that decision- to help the humans- considering the paralysing fear he held of them only moments before. Before he knew it he was on the ground, body mushrooming up, clawed arms spreading wide and growl echoing deep in his cavernous chest. 

Ten on one was rather unfair he felt. But he found he could just about deal with it though. No way in Earth was he going to let them send one more human into false slumber. Now however he was feeling the repercussions of this decision as he doubled over with rattling blood flecked coughs. 

He just hoped they accepted the false body below and thought him dead. No need to hunt the dead... 

Screams filled the air and blearily he twisted his body to see what was happening. There weren't any more Titans were there? Did he shed his body too early?

What he saw instead was very strange. 

A red headed human howled into the air over his body, aching sobs filling the air. The hunter cocked an eyebrow in disbelief as this human emitted a variety of strange sounds. They appeared to be upset. 

This was strangely unsettling to watch. He understood fear and uncertainty, and the dead eyed greed of his fellow Titans, but this? …Why were they so upset? Over **him** of all things...

He coughed again, blood staining the green cloak he wrapped around him. His eyes started to drift shut, the last thing he saw was the protesting red human being pulled away from his body before he fell into the black. 


	4. Following his human

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again everyone!  
> I feel like I'm going to be repeating myself a lot in these comments but I just want to say:  
> Thank you all so much! I absolutely love your comments! They just brighten up my day so much! And blimey, I've got over 900 views! Cheers to all of you who have read or left kudos.  
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter too!
> 
> p.s. my beta Frantastic1993 has re-uploaded her story which I defo recommend checking out.

 

 

* * *

 

The Hunter sharply started from his dreams; throwing his aching body upright as if to get away from the- the- _what was it again?_

The sharp cries of a murder of crows echoed with the wind, through the valley of creaking redwoods.

Slowly the hunter leaned back against the trunk of the tree, distracting himself from the fading night visions with sluggish thoughts of the day before.

Blinking up into the golden leaves shaking high above him, he breathed out exhaustedly. The scent of humans was gone, only the faintest trace remained. 

_What now?_

They were safe last night. He estimated that he had put a serious dent in the number of Titans around the day before. The ones left over probably could be dealt with by the flying ones. 

... _Probably_.

He stood up tall and heaved in a breath, tasting the air as he moved his head from left to right. With a burst of painful effort he jumped up a meter to a higher branch and took in another deep breath. Damn his senses were never as good when in his small form but...

 _That way, towards the sunrise_ , he decided finally. 

Slowly, agonisingly slowly, he jumped from branch to branch, conserving the silver air for now as he made his way through the trees. All too soon he found himself on the edge of the forest, peering out at the expanse of sand and rock before him. 

They **were** gone...

 _Right- well- good. They don’t belong out here, far too dangerous..._ he told himself.

 _What, like out there where there are no trees to fly from?_ Another thought slowly asked in a soft, aching tone. 

That was a good point though. Where did those humans go that they could be safe? They must go somewhere to sleep without fear like when he used the trees or his dreys while he was small. He considered for a moment going after them, rubbing his hands tiredly over his face, then his fingers found crusted blood and he paused. 

_Would I actually be able to protect them like this?_

The Hunter paused, looking intently at the dried, flaking blood on his fingers.

He wanted to protect these flying humans, but he knew he wouldn't be of much use if he pushed himself too hard. The larger form he bore was powerful, but its toll on him was great.

They could be safe, on their own, for one day. Then he would be less tired. Then he could go after them, offer them help if he could. For now he would rest, remove the stains of old battles, and ready for the journey. 

One day. They could be safe for one day.

* * *

 

 

Levi blinked distractedly as shitty glasses burst into a fresh wave of tears. 

"Any leads on who killed it?" He asked the third division squad captain, not bothering to remember his name. The Commander had been little more than a broken wreck after the disastrous journey back and subsequently had been little help in clearing up the situation. This man was sent as a spokesman instead. However, with the strange blank look in his eyes, Levi held little aspiration for the replacement’s mental stability and usefulness.

"No, there is no way of telling and no one has come forward," reported the man, back straight and eyes distant.

Levi sat, lost in memories of a giant foot and vivid blue green gaze. 

"It's definitely dead?" he repeated.

The captain’s eyes became less distant as came back to the present to slowly nod. The man looked faintly confused; Levi was never known for asking for confirmations in such matters. 

"Why do you think I'm crying so hard?" howled Hanji, pausing in their bawling to glower petulantly at Levi. 

Both men sighed as Hanji started to choke out their bitter tears once again. 

"It was so beautiful Levi. Huge white serrated teeth, perfect for attacking his large prey. Eyes like precious gems! So alive! Alert! He looked right at us and it was an  _intelligent_  gaze…… _Intelligent_  Levi! And _someone._ Just. Killed. Him!" 

Levi's head fell into his hands. 

"An inquiry will be held," he breathed out with barely contained patience.  "But it's not likely much will come of it. We generally don't punish killing Titans. Now get the hell out of my office. You both smell like shit,"

Once the hiccoughing sobs faded to a safe distance Levi leant back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling, eyes unfocused.

So he hadn't been hallucinating those two years ago. So there had been a Titan that fought its own kind; a Titan that could have been used to fight their enemy. 

So his saviour was dead. 

His foot lashed out, kicking the table over as he continued to glower up at the ceiling. 

After five minutes he took in a deep breath and started to tidy up. 

 

* * *

 

An orange glow filled his senses, flickering on and off. Warm hands running through his hair; a soft sweet breath in his ear as large arms enveloped him. 

**_"You're safe now,"_ **

"Kalura... gehen nicht" He murmured faintly. 

The large warm hands receded with the golden glow. The hunter opened his eyes. 

Grey clouds greeted him through the leaves in the forest canopy, heavy with the threat of rain. 

For a moment he simply watched those darker clouds drift across the sky with the strong wind, eyes almost silver in their reflection. Then he breathed out, slowly standing and turning to face where the sunrise would be but for the promise of bad weather. 

He clicked his jaw in agitation, then, after tightly strapping his spear to his back, he took a deep breath, bit into his tongue and stepped off the branch, expanding outwards just in time to create a crater as he fell to the earth. 

Huffing a steaming breath over his bare body, the Titan hunter quickly made his way out of the trees, out of his forest, and out to the sheer expanse beyond. 

He hesitated, looking back at the forest. It was where waterfalls fell into lush mist-hidden valleys... where deep inside there lay a boulder with crude widespread wings carved deep upon it, and soldiers falsely slumbered. He turned back to look out at the flat plains, whining faintly as he stared out for an unknown time

A cool wind circled him, whistling through the empty gaps between his fingers.

-And suddenly his right foot slowly rose and moved forward. The other foot swung forth to pass it and he was moving, making his way across the grey sandy soil, following the sunrise. 

Following his human. 

 ~~~

 

A cautious yet joyful feeling of adventure and freedom soon overtook the hunter as he strode forward. He both despised and rejoiced in the open space. It was unyielding and exposing yet at the same time it felt so free.

He finally had room to spread his arms wide, unhindered by branch or leaf, running forward in great leaps and childish bounds. The grey sand kicked up in arcs as he ran.

He breathed out in pleasure, eyes relaxing as he pushed himself faster and faster across the plain… until he spotted something in the sand far below that stopped the excited dancing. 

Skidding to a stop he looked back. A brown and white winged bird took flight, yellow claws and sharp beak stained red.

**_“Where there are buzzards, there is death.”_ **

A human hand lay on the ground, fingers relaxed, nails smooth and even. The wind whipped through the sand burying it from sight. 

The faint scratch of sand in the wind and squeaking crunch of earth beneath the Hunter’s feet was the only sound that seemed to fill the dry expanse as he stared at where that hand was buried. A low soft noise vibrated in his chest as he bent down to uncover what was left of the human, cradling the severed arm in his palm. 

As he continued to make his way forwards he went slower now, picking up green cloaks and broken bodies. There weren't as many as he feared but he still felt a strange agitating feeling in his chest and stomach. 

Looking down at these bodies in his arms he wondered how long they had lain there. Was it one day or two? Was it, in fact, while he selfishly rested that these humans met this fate? 

These thoughts were interrupted however by a new sound, a thumping shaking of the ground. 

His sharp glaring eyes twisted as he turned to face the slavering creature running full speed at him, glazed eyes somehow focused on the humans in his arms.  The Hunter looked down at the broken humans he held, a small pale face looked up at him through one dry, empty blue eye. 

Gently he placed them down on the earth and stepped forward, shielding them from the bloated potbellied monster coming at them. 

_No._

_NO!_

His roar echoed through the plains, reverberating through his chest to his toes to the very ground, causing the sand to shift and crumble around his feet. 

With one last short hissing breath he launched himself forward, arms and legs spread wide as he pounced on his prey, long fingers ripping in and piercing at its eyes. He snorted with satisfaction as the clear jelly like substance ran down its face in a mocking imitation of tears. 

No Titan ever cried. This was the closest thing to remorse they could ever achieve.  

The hunter then ripped into the thing's belly, pulling out the bloated red organ as he wrapped his enormous jaw over its neck and shook him like a dog until an echoing crack vibrated down his throat. 

He loosened his jaw, letting the thing fall to the ground as he looked at the translucent organ in his hand. 

Empty. 

He breathed out in relief then threw it to the ground, wiping his bloody hands on the earth as they steamed with the evaporating blood. 

He picked up the humans with soft reverence and thought carefully. 

He could not continue to carry them and he would not leave them to fill the belly of another of his kind. 

There were no caves nor were there trees. He stared out at the sand in desperation.  Suddenly the image of the sand burying that first one's arm came to him. 

Quietly and quickly the hunter brought his hands to the earth, pealing back the layers of sand and clay, loam and rock. 

**_"The earth below us is made of many different layers; the top soil is often the most fertile my little hunter, perfect for growing crops- what we eat- and large trees. Below that there can be many different things, such as clay or rock, or even the ancient bones of the forgotten times."_ **

He shook his head to clear his mind of the gentle voice, instead pulling out several rocks to form a crude circle around the hole. 

 _"Die Erde ist die Mutter und Grab aller Menschen"_ he muttered, not certain if he was talking to himself or the humans he was placing in the earth.

_The earth is the mother and grave of all men._

He stared at his handy work, hoping that it would be deep enough that the ever hungry noses and grasping hands could not reach it. 

As he buried the humans he wondered what they would think of him doing this. 

Would they have smiled in soft gratitude? Cried like the strange red headed woman? Or would they glare and hiss? How DARE this Titan presume to help us so when so many of his kind have consumed us? When **WE** were KILLED by its kin?!

The hunter did not know. They would probably have acted like in the forest. Shocked and fearful then angry, chasing after him with vine and blade. 

He knew why they felt this. When they looked at him, they were blinded by what he was: A **Titan** …and nothing more.

He understood that humans lived out their lives in a world ruled by deadly fear, a fear that was wielded by the greed of his kin. He despaired at their lot in life and found he could not condemn them for how they would feel about him. Despite his lack of knowledge of humans, he understood entirely what he was to them.

As he smoothed the last grains of earth back on the hole another Titan appeared on the horizon, scrabbling forward on all fours. 

The hunter squinted in confusion at its strange appearance, taking a moment to muse on the oddness that infected some of the titans, to consider why these ones seemed all the more hungry despite their deformities and bizarre motions, before he huffed out an angry breath and readied himself to fight. 

He would find what was left of those humans but for now he would do his best to avenge their broken forms. 

 

* * *

 

 _It is a beautiful day_ , Mikasa mused idly as she picked up another stick, firm and dry in her hands. 

Aesthetically, yes it _was_ beautiful. The sun shone with deep amber tones onto the earth, casting a golden glow to the fields and grass as they were ruffled by warm, gentle breezes. 

Her attention however was drawn to a magpie that stood not three yards away, sharp beak tearing into the small brown bird struggling between its claws. 

Soft weak cheeps and the quiet sound of ripping feathers mixed with the rustling shift of grass as Mikasa watched. 

She left the field in silence, making her way to the gate with _no one_ noticing her as she slipped past the drunken gamblers who had the nerve to name themselves as protectors of the walls, to call themselves the Garrison

No one _except_ the blond soldier, Hannes who weakly smiled and nodded to her as he looked up from his game. She moved onwards into the market, only the faintest hesitation in her step showing that she noticed him. 

"That little girl's as cold as ice Hanne" one of the men laughed. 

"She's been through a lot, leave her be," murmured Hannes before turning back to his game. 

Mikasa strolled through the market, staring at the fish stall as heads were sliced and bodies gutted. 

Bells rang out behind her, signalling the return of the scouts. She kept moving, going against the flow of people. But there were too many and she soon found herself herded into the street, trying to squeeze through the crush. 

"Moses! Moses!" Came a woman's voice. People on the street watched the woman with pitying looks. 

Misaka felt her breath hitch for a moment as she watched the old woman searching through the throng of soldiers. 

Then she saw something _truly_ beautiful. 

The woman's crinkled face enveloped in tears and joy as a man came forward to take her in his arms. 

Mikasa stood still, hands tight on the straps of her pack, simply watching the mother and son. 

"There's not as many as before are there?" Whispered a woman nearby. 

"It's better than last time but I wonder why they keep going out there," returned another. 

Misaka breathed out heavily and turned away, carrying on with her walk back... home. 

"Welcome back Mikasa, was your trip profitable?" came Grisha's voice from the kitchen as she entered the house. 

"Mm," murmured Mikasa as she poured the wood into the kindling box. 

Dr Grisha smiled faintly at this and sat at the table, packing up his bag. 

"Want to walk with me? My boat is leaving soon and I don't like the idea of you staying in here all day." 

Mikasa nodded faintly, picking up her coat and following after the tall man, hesitating as she closed the door behind her. 

"Come on now child," smiled the man gently, taking her hand. 

Mikasa let him hold it for a few moments before subtly removing herself to walk behind him. 

"Wait a moment. Mikasa isn't that your friend there?" He asked as they passed by an alley way. 

Mikasa looked up from the ground to follow the doctor's line of sight. 

There stood- well no- sat Armin, surrounded by boys glaring down at him. 

"Shut up, smart-ass!" Hissed one of them. 

Mikasa scowled at the boys as they raised their fists again, taking a step forward before seeming to remember Grisha's presence and freezing in place. 

"I feel we had better part ways here," stated the doctor with a faint up turn to the corners of his mouth. "I will see you in a few days. Remember Hannes will be checking in on you in the evenings... Oh and Mikasa...don't hurt them too badly,"

Mikasa nodded briefly to him as he left, before running forwards, eyes shadowed and almost lifeless as she moved. 

"Oh shit! It's Mikasa!" Shouted one of the boys before turning tail and running, with the rest of the group scrabbling to follow. 

"You alright?" Asked Mikasa quietly, watching as her friend hissed in pain and pulled himself off the ground. 

He didn't want her help, she knew that and she could respect it. 

"What did you say to them this time?" She asked in a flat voice. 

"Same old. That someday humans need to leave these walls and find the world outside. Then they beat me up for being a 'heretic'," said the boy in a rueful voice, wiping the dirt off his face. 

Mikasa gave no comment to this, instead simply sighing. 

"Go home and wash your cuts." Mikasa told him in a crisp tone before turning to walk away. 

"Am I okay to come over later still? I've got that book to show you," Armin asked quietly, tone slow, careful and faintly hopeful as he took in his friend's rigid posture. 

Mikasa turned back and smiled properly for the first time that day. 

“I’ll see you later Armin,”

Today was going to be a good day. She could feel it.

 

* * *

 

The Hunter blinked, then blinked again. 

Nope, it was still there. 

The gigantic sheer rock face loomed over the edge of the plains, about ten times his height, strong and solid as it harshly jutted out against the mild blue sky. 

 _What is it?_ He asked himself as he stared, a good distance away from his mindless kin. 

He squinted at the thing, wondering for a moment at the small black specks moving on top. 

Then he stared incredulously as he distinguished the arms on one of them, stretching out above its pinprick of a head. 

Humans... The humans were inside the rock? 

 _Well that explains the strong scent coming from there_ , he thought to himself somewhat sarcastically. 

It also explained the slathering horde of his kin clawing at the smooth, unrelenting surface. 

It did not explain, however, how the Earth they managed to make the thing! How could they reach so high when they were so small? Was it the vines and flying humans? 

Whatever they had done the Hunter was, to put it simply, impressed. 

To explain his feelings in full however his vocabulary would have to have been expanded to include words like awestruck, excited, relieved, engrossed and perhaps even... fearful. 

However as he was not so expressive with his words, especially when in his larger form, he simply stood, staring up at the wall with wide eyes and stilled breath for an unknown amount of time. 

Then the birds flew high in the sky in a panic. 

Then there was the explosion. 

Then the awed mixed feelings vanished. 

He staggered back as the smoke and steam hit him like a brick wall, pushing himself forwards against the sheer force of it until he found himself stumbling forward into a clear space.

In the relative calm the Hunter found his eyes almost tugged from their sockets as they glued themselves to the image of the most hideous thing he had ever seen. 

A giant skinless monstrosity faced the human’s masterpiece, hands ready to rip their work apart. 

"NOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRR!" Came the Hunter's guttural scream as he watched the thing draw back its foot, agonisingly slowly. 

The Hunter ran. Oh did he run but for once in his life he knew he wasn't fast enough, wasn’t large enough. How could he possibly-

Lightning fast images of his human filled his head. He fought beings many times his size. 

And those green humans who flew up high to slice at his breatherin's necks. 

He was running before he could think to move his legs. A little closer. A little closer. 

The Titan's leg began to descend.

The seconds passed like trickling syrup and roaring rapids at the same time as the Hunter willed himself to move faster. Move a little faster.

Move closer. A little closer. 

Pain seared across his neck as the clawed himself out of his now stumbling body, shooting out his vines to the wall as his old flesh began to fall.  

But it was too late. Violent tremors and an unrelenting shake of rubble and stone overcame the wall, threatening to dislodge the Hunter's tenuous grip on the hard surface. 

Wide eyes span around and narrowed to slits as he saw the Titans below surge forwards to the gap. 

He looked up at the skinless abomination and a savage snarl curled his lip. 

_H-How dare you? How dare you?! HOW DARE YOU?!_

"SSSSTIIIIIRRRRRRRB!" He screamed, voice crackling with hot white fury, as he shot his vines at the thing, shooting up its back, spear at the ready. 

Only for the steam to reappear, for his slices to fall into the thick empty air before he was pushed back by a rush of wind and steam. 

 _What_? 

He shot forwards his vines, attaching himself to the wall once more. He span around but the thing was gone. Vanished into thin air. 

"Gottverdammt!" He spat, bringing his fist down against the grey rock. 

For a long moment the Hunter remained, frozen in place as he considered what he had saw, numb to the distant sounds around him as he thought. 

A Titan that size could not just disappear like that. It was imposi-

 _I could,_ he thought suddenly, _but not without leaving something behind._

Was that Titan like him? Full of thoughts? But then why would it destroy the walls? Why would it allow the humans to die? 

The Hunter found his musings sharply shattered however when his brain finally registered what those faint familiar sounds were that he had been vaguely listening to. 

Screams. 

The Titans were entering the human's stone haven and were devouring them. 

A growl ripped through the Hunter's throat and he moved. Flying up over the wall and- stopping. 

Blue green eyes widened as he saw what lay below him, ready to soak in the strange formations and rocks but instead he shook himself from these awed thoughts. 

There wasn't time for wonder. 

Instead he fell to the earth, angling himself to fall on one of the larger Titan's, spear at the ready. 

_Time to hunt._


	5. The breach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys :D Woop! This story now has over 200 kudos! Am feeling very happy about that, so thank you all :)  
> Here's the next chapter to celebrate that little fact.
> 
> On a side note, I've managed to convert my lovely beta to the ways of A03 so I'd definitly recommend checking her work out at: http://archiveofourown.org/users/Frantastic1993
> 
> (btw Frantastic, I remembered to put the trousers in this time, don’t worry :P)
> 
> Hope you all enjoy :) x

* * *

The Hunter fell back to one of the taller structures, wiping at the slick sheen of sweat on his face, drawing the green hood tight over his head once again.  

His tenth kill dissolved gently at the foot of his tall perch. 

"It's Corporal Levi!" Cried out a woman's voice, from not far away, in such a relieved tone of crying joy that the Hunter found his gaze quickly drawn up to see the ‘corporal’ flying through the grey stone structures, moving with such grace and fluidity that he found he couldn’t bear to tear his eyes away. 

The man was a blur, swords arching around him as he effortlessly threw his body forwards to bring his blades through the nape of a titan like a hot knife though butter. It was only when he jumped back and landed on one of the tall structures that the Hunter truly realised who this human was. 

Black hair shined in the beaming sunlight, silver eyes sweeping over his surroundings, taking on a blue hue as they reflected the open sky.

It was him. His human, defending not only himself but the others with his wind like movements. 

... _Corporal Levi_   _they said_ … 

The Hunter felt his lips curve up, but not in the usual snarl. Instead they moved up with the strange swooping feeling in his chest as he drank in the figure as it moved, flying forwards to his next target. 

He could have sworn that he was bigger before... The Hunter let out a faint breath as he watched the figure shrink into the distance. 

"No please! Let me go! PLEASE!" 

The Hunter wrenched his eyes away from his disappearing human, instead looking around for the source of the new screams.  

Deep gulps of air. No time to rest. No time for watching. No time for him…

His painful hot breaths clawed up his throat as the Hunter moved again. Once more he made to endure the lingering after effects of his earlier transformation. Rest had to wait. He had to help. He had to try.

Using his vines within the human's domain was definitely different to the forest. 

He couldn't get as high and secure objects to anchor himself to were few and far between. 

However the worst thing was the shining spears at the end of his vines. 

The grapples (for that was the word for them even if the Hunter did not know it) bounced off the stone half the time, so he had to mainly rely on his light weight and strength to jump from structure to structure, running down the vertical stones and using the Titan's soft flesh to manoeuvre around. 

Clutching his spear tightly, he ran towards the new cries to see a female, hair dirty white, face thick with dark crevices and eyes full of tears, who’s lower body was stuck between the grinding teeth of a Titan, red scarf gently swaying with each soft crunching chew. 

Silently now he threw himself forwards to balance on the thing's hand, waiting as the thing's sluggish eyes found him, crinkled in murderous delight, and for its jaws to open and snap down on the new arrival. 

When that moment came the Hunter darted forward, grabbing the woman and jumping sideways, using his vines to pull them both towards the sloped tops of the structures. 

Gently he placed the woman down, briefly putting his hand to her soft cheek to calm her gasping sobs of thanks before turning back to the lumbering white bearded Titan. 

He aimed one vine towards its eye and the other to its neck, causing it to rear back as its milky grey eye was punctured, spilling the blood flecked jelly all over itself. 

The Hunter ripped out that vine, using the momentum of his movement to swing around and effortlessly pass his spear through its neck. 

Job done, he jumped off onto the sloped top again, returning to the woman with soft timid steps. 

There was a lot of blood, her legs were gone but for the long stingy strips of bloodied flesh, and her lips were stained a vibrant, unnatural red. 

"Thank you. Oh thank you," she breathed out quietly, her hand reaching out blindly for him. 

The Hunter knelt down next to her, hand on hers as he searched her deep brown eyes. Those eyes which widened in shock as they saw within the shadows of his hood. 

"Boy... You're so young. Why?"

The Hunter said nothing, simply staring back. 

"You have.... no shirt, aren't you...cold?" She whispered, each breath harder than the last. 

The woman smiled sadly at him and with trembling fingers pulled the scarf off of her neck and wrapped it around of the surprised boy. 

He continued to stare in surprise into her eyes until he realised they were far too still. Too unmoving. 

...Something strange was happening to his vision, it warped and blurred and he felt something trickle down his face. 

Raising his hand to wipe at his eyes he found them wet. 

A heavy patter of feet sounded on the roof and the smell of fear overcame his feelings of confusion. 

"Sir, we're overwhelmed. What should we do?" Came a deep voice. 

The boy spared one last lingering look for the frozen woman then the Hunter stood up, pulling the cloak tight to pull his face into shadows. 

A group of about ten people stood before him, bloody and shivering, most in tight tanned clothing but the one who spoke in a familiar green cloak. 

Their eyes opened wide as they took him in, clad in a scouts green cape, stance firm and unyielding, strong stomach bare but for the ripped, ill-fitting trousers and black straps that covered him. A blood red scarf was wrapped around his neck, pulling back the material just enough to vaguely hint at a narrow yet firm-set jaw. 

"Are you sure he's a squad leader?" One whispered faintly to another. 

"He just took down eight Titans by himself, did you miss that? What else could he be?" Another hissed back. 

The Hunter looked at the fearful humans consideringly. They called him sir... 

They seemed to want… commands? But shouldn't their pack leader do that? 

He recalled his small human-

_-Corporal Levi- his name is Corporal Levi-_

\- moving away, deeper into the human's territory. 

He looked out then around at his surroundings, at the Titans. A group of five Titans seemed to be not too far to the left, another ten to the right. 

_Right... Temporary pack leader..._

He turned back to his group and raised his hands to point at the three of them with the least shivers and fearful smells. He then pointed to the group of ten Titans and mimed pulling in, then pointing at the tallest structure he could see nearby. 

"...You want us to lure them there? Why?" Asked one after a brief perplexed pause. 

The Hunter nodded then pointed to another four, miming the same but for the group of seven Titans. 

They hesitantly nodded. 

He then waved his arms all around and mimed the pulling in motion again. 

"Just keep luring them here? Away from the people?" Asked the green freckled one in a taut voice. 

"But we'll be killed! Why- why won't you talk to us?!" 

He turned to the man who spoke, who flinched back as the shadowed hood faced him silently. 

He slowly pointed at him and the other next to him with tears staining his face then at himself, motioning for them to follow him, before picking up the woman's body and passing it to the larger one's arms.  

He gave them all a ‘thumbs up’ and hesitantly they nodded. 

Turning away he fired off his vines and snapped forward with his two followers close behind, stopping each time to pick up a fallen body and hand it to them or carrying it himself. 

It was at that moment that he heard the scream. 

"Mikasa! No! We have to move!"

He held his hand up to stop the other two and passed the small lifeless figure he had just found to them, motioning them towards the far side of the city where the most humans had gathered. 

They hesitantly nodded, relief clear on their faces as they looked at their escape. 

The Hunter barely contained his snort of disgust before jumping down off the building, ducking and rolling as he hit the cobbles several meters below them.  

At the sharp gasps above him he scowled and motioned for them to move again. 

"Hanse take Armin. Run its coming." came the hushed voice of a female, drawing the Hunter's attention back to the scene before him. 

"We're not leaving you!" cried a small blond human, pulling at the wreckage that crushed the girl. 

"What about your grandpa!? Will you leave him without any family? Alone? He needs you!" The girl spat out, voice destitute and breaking with her angry pleas. 

"What about me?! I need you! Don't think you can just leave me like this!" Screamed the boy, his fingernails scrabbling and breaking as he desperately tried to pull the building off of her. 

The larger blond man took the black haired girl's hand in his for a moment.  

"No Mikasa, I will not leave a child behind. I will fight this thing, then we will get you out." Said the blond man, stopping in his efforts to lift the beam and running forwards to the monster- 

-Before stopping, body fossilized with the age old stink of fear, staring up at the jagged cold cut smile of the creature before him, at the intense hungry gaze and at the red stained maul.  

The Hunter growled as he smelt that stench of fear rolling off of the man. Even if he managed to attempt to fight like that, all he could do would be to get himself eaten and leave the other two alone to die. 

The Hunter ran forwards silently, past the fear filled man, dodging through the medium type's grasping fingers as it bent down to grab him. 

Within moments he was in position, slicing down on the hamstrings of the legs with a quick sweep of his spear, forcing it down to the earth before scaling its back as it struggled to push itself up. 

Ignoring the flailing limbs the Hunter made his way to the thing's neck and sliced deep twice, only to be thrown back as the thing's body violently spasmed and threw him bodily into a wall. 

But the deed was done, and the once smiling Titan lay still. 

Wincing at the stabbing hot pain in his chest, the Hunter pulled himself up, wiping his face of the sweat and water that still filled his eyes.

He jumped down from the enormous body and made his way forward to the girl and boy who appeared to both be frozen in place, both staring at him with wide eyes and little mouths in perfect 'O's. 

He motioned for the small blond one to move back before putting his hands to the wooden debris that pinned the girl to the earth. 

He caught her eye and nodded once before he carefully started to lift, teeth clenching as the stabbing feeling rippled through his chest like fire. 

There were gasps as the structure rose with his hands but all the large human did was unmovingly stare with shocked eyes. 

The Hunter hissed slightly at this but the blond boy was faster on the uptake, moving the girl out who couldn't seem to take her eyes from his. Once she was clear he released the wood, creating an echoing crash as it collapsed which reverberated through their feet. 

They continued to stare at the Hunter as he squatted on his haunches, running deft fingers over the girl's wounds, making soft meaningless murmurs every time she hissed with pain, shivers raking through her body. 

**_"...aren't you...cold?"_  **

The Hunter looked at the shivering, alive girl and carefully pulled at the red scarf at his throat and wrapped it loosely round her head and neck. 

She... A human needed it more than a Titan like him. 

Wind blew cool at his neck now as he looked from girl to boy in silence. 

Hmm something was wrong. He felt at his neck for a moment wondering what it was before he heard a hesitant voice. 

"H-hey. How old are you?" Asked the big blond man in a wavering voice. 

 _The hood_. 

His eyes widened as his hands scrabbled at his hood, pulling it back over his head. 

Damn it how long had he been like that? Could they tell he wasn't human? He knew his body was in the correct proportion but his face? The only image he had ever seen of it was distorted by ripples... 

Had they realised? By the way they stared at him he feared for a moment they had... but they were not attacking or running...

He quickly stood up, releasing the hand of the girl with black hair and motioning to the tall yellow haired man to pick her up and move. 

He gave his hand to the small blond one with the quick wits and pulled him up, motioning at him to run before he turned, picked up his spear and fired his vines to the stone, (catching it just right for once) pulling himself up and away from their sudden shouts. 

 _Damn it,_ he thought to himself as he tried to put thoughts of those humans out of his head.

Instead he concentrated on the lagging feeling to his movements.

He had used too much of the silver air. He wasn't moving as fast and his weight was dipping even as he willed his body to be as light as possible. 

He stopped on the rounded crest of a smaller structure and searched around for those humans who asked for direction earlier. 

He scanned the immediate area, twisting his head sharply around until he saw the crowd of twenty or so Titans, surrounding the tall triangle shaped rock where several humans clinged on. 

His eyes flashed over his surroundings as he quickly considered his options. His very breath was now painful in his chest, sharp and wet and piercing with every hitching breath. It was unlikely that he could save those humans like this. Those humans who were doing what he asked for them to do...

He thought back to only two days ago when he had fallen into dreamless sleep  **during** the **day-** something unknown of with Titans **\- and**  of his unhealing injuries, his current condition. 

Then one of the large type Titans took a human in his hand and the Hunter's decision was made for him. 

_Zu sehr bald brechen._

**_“Too much will soon break.”_ **

"NEIN!"

The Hunter boy jumped down from his perch, hand clenched in his teeth and a moment later steam filled the small stone valley and the Hunter Titan stood tall, growl echoing through his lipless jaw. 

He threw himself forwards, ground rocks flying out behind him as he pushed himself forwards, faster, faster, FASTER.

"UUUAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRHHH!"

His hand smashed right through the first Titan's head, splattering both its brain and the bones in the Hunter's fist across the street. 

The Titan's grip loosened, dropping the human in its hand into the Hunter's palm. 

"Wha- what the hell?"

"They're fighting over us?"

"Get Conner out of there! Let's kill that thing!"

"Wait! Don't kill it!" came a deep, slightly familiar, voice.

The Hunter brought his regenerating skeletal hand to his nape and gently moved the struggling human in his grip to the tall pointed structure before him, opening his palm flat. 

The humans froze, eyes wide and mouths open, the human in his hand even more so. 

A soft growl vibrated through the Hunter's chest and he tilted his hand gently. 

_Move idiot. It's not like I can fight with you in my hand._

"Conner, it wants you to get off." Stated one of the humans in a blank voice. Hunter's eyes briefly fell on the pale freckle skinned human, wrapped in the green sheet. 

**" _Sir, we're overwhelmed. What should we do?"_**

The one they called Conner jumped off his hand and Hunter moved back, eyes still fixed to the pale human.  

He tore his eyes away as the body at his feet started to struggle and push itself up, skull half formed, exposing its bloodied churned up brain. With a blood curdling growl the Hunter brought his foot down on its nape and sharply twisted. 

"It finished it off!" exclaimed one of the men. 

"It's him!" said the green cloak. 

The Hunter blinked, shaking his head as he jumped back from the humans. He didn't have time to listen to them. Scrabbling hands were still grabbing for his humans, greed blinding them of the demise of one of their own. They would notice soon though. Especially when the Hunter began his defense of his humans in earnest. 

 _My humans..._ He thought to himself as he smashed a red haired Titan's head clean off. 

Images of the gently swinging human in his forest, the hand in the sand and the wrinkled woman's frozen brown gaze flashed behind his eyes as he ripped a small type Titan in half and smashed its dripping remains into the ground. 

Thoughts of his small defiant human, the herd of thankful humans in his forest, the humans before him and those two little ones with so much life ahead of them filled his head as his hand sliced up through one's stomach, ripping out its organ and spilling it on the floor. 

 _MY HUMANS!_ His thoughts roared again as he ripped through flesh and bone with hand, foot and tooth, pouring blood over earth and mashing bone into stone. 

Suddenly there was silence. There were no more Titans around him. 

Small white fragments of bone were scattered beneath his feet. Steaming blood and guts drenched the structures around him. 

 _Where have they all gone?_  

His body steamed and hissed as it regenerated itself.  

He looked down in surprise as his left arm slowly regrew. 

When had he lost that? 

He shook his head slightly, body wavering, world tilting on its axis. 

Voices seeped into his darkening vision and he shook his head again, trying to remain upright. 

"We should strike now, while it’s weak, before the aberrant turns on us!" 

"No! Did you not just see that?! It killed twenty Titans all by itself and it's STILL standing! They were trying to fucking eat it as well!" 

"But there are no more Titans right here! It will turn on us!" 

The Hunter brought up his right hand, his most complete hand at that moment, to his nape and backed away from those voices. 

"It didn't kill Conner!"

"It's an aberrant! You can't predict what it will do! We need to-"

"No one is to touch it," came a cold, carrying voice. 

The humans all fell silent and the Hunter turned to see who commanded such compliance- only to freeze, pupils contacting. For a moment a delirious feeling of relief and happiness threatened to overcome him. 

It was his human, standing not five meters away, watching him from one of the buildings. 

His eyes really _were_ grey, like pools of moonlit water... He wasn't sure if he had imagined that or not. If he had the lips to do so the Hunter felt sure they would have twisted up in happiness at the sight of his... his human... who was looking right at him...with his hands on his blades...

The Hunter then realised what was going to happen next and a pool of ice opened in his stomach, dousing the strange warm tickle with dread. 

He was going to die. He was a Titan and he was going to die. 

"Quite the specimen isn't he..." sighed his human, staring at the frozen giant with a narrowed gaze. 

His expression was glacial, unmoving and utterly devoid of any emotion but the faint dark flash in his somber eyes. 

The Hunter's hand tightened over his neck. 

"I told you Levi! He's alive! Ooh! And look! Look! He’s aware of his own weak spot, I knew that was what it was doing!" came yet another familiar voice. 

The Hunter's eyes shifted to the red headed woman, eyes widening as he recognised the one who made such strange noises at his body before. 

His eyes flicked from one to the other, not daring to let them out of his sights. 

"Ooh... interesting," commented the man, face and tone hard and cold, discordant to his words. 

"What do we do now?" Hissed someone from behind the Hunter. 

The Hunter's eyes widened. They had got behind him. He was so distracted that the humans had got behind him. 

He took a step to the left, turning, trying to get both sides of the humans into his field of vision. 

"Don't move shit face," warned his human, voice cruel yet lifeless. 

"Levi! Don't! You'll Scare him away!" Yelled the red one, pulling on the other's green cloak, causing the small man to break eye contact with the Hunter for the barest moment. 

The Hunter took his opportunity, turning and running, clouds of healing steam following him as he launched himself over the buildings and away. 

"Shit!" He heard behind him, far too close behind him. 

Panic surged through him, making it difficult to think as he sped up, ploughing his way through rock and stone. 

"You're not getting away from me this time," he heard again, still too close, far too close. 

"Stop him, he's heading towards the boats!" Cried another, from further back, voice strained with fear. 

"No one is to touch it! It’s mine!" Growled out a smoky voice almost by his ear. 

Startled the Hunter span away to his right, body light and movements fluid. The last image of his human imprinted on his eyes: a frozen almost desperate look on his human's face as he quickly tried to change his direction to follow him.

But the Hunter was moving faster now, gaining ground on his pursuers. This however did not help him when his right foot caught in something, ripping it off with the sheer twisting force and speed, sending him backwards into one of the taller structures. 

Pain lanced through him from his injuries, arms trapped by his side and... air cool against his neck?  

There was only one thing he could now do. 

He closed his eyes.

 

_Pain._

 

That would, to put it simply, be the word to describe the Hunter's perception of the world as he forced himself out of the red hot flesh. 

There weren't really any other words for it other than pain. It was pure and undiluted and almost wholly consuming of his mind and body. It was too much for hurt, it would not abate so it could not be described as throbbing and it was too pure and consistent for agony.

But it didn't take him. He couldn't let it take him. 

He forced his bleeding eyes open and with feverish shaking limbs he scrabbled over the cracked rock and splintered wood towards the light, away from his decaying body. 

He threw himself forward towards the source of the slanting light, gasping in surprise as it shattered, cutting deep into his flesh. 

_No. Keep. Moving. Fight. Live. FIGHT._

Vines snapped forwards, pulling him forwards; the last of the silver air propelling him onwards until there was nothing left. 

_No air, no light, no..._

The world disappeared with the thick cloying taste of blood swelling his tongue.  

Then there was only one last thing. A sound. A ringing voice. 

"Hannes! Are you okay? What just-? Mikasa! It's him! Oh god! Hannes get up! Help me pick him up!" 

Then there was nothing at all. 


	6. His friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there everybody! Here's my next chapter for The Hunter :) much much less gore and action in this one but I reckon Eren's earned himself a breather.
> 
> I'm heading off soon on a holiday to the Shetlands for a week so I thought it'd be a good idea to get the next chapter up before I head off as it is extremely unlikely that there will be any wifi where I'm staying.
> 
> I apologize in advance for any mistakes I make with the German, I have little knowledge of the language other than a few insults one of my old French teachers used to use on us (yeah a bit odd but hey ho)  
> I hope you guys all like this chapter and thank you again for your continuing support and amazing comments (over 2000 hits! Wooh!)  
> x

* * *

Steam billowed up from the scene before them. There was a quiet hiss as a strip of flesh fell away into empty air.  

Levi stood, staring down into the dissolving pool of blood and bone. 

"It must have damaged its neck when it fell," someone said, he didn't know who it was. Levi didn't really care who it was. 

He remained silent, simply watching the remnants of humanity's _real_ strongest hope disappear.

"Levi," came a hollow voice from next to him. 

He turned around to meet the dead-eyed gaze of Hanji. 

"I know," he muttered, meeting it straight on, unblinking.  

A long, tense moment passed as they stared at each other then Hanji sighed and turned away to look to the ground below them. 

"...He was the same Titan. I mean  _exactly_  the same... Levi. How is that possible?" 

"Why do you think I know, shitty glasses?"

"I thought first that maybe he was related to the other. But when he looked at me... It was almost like he recognised me... He was intelligent. He  _was_  the same as the Titan from the forest,"

Levi grunted. 

"But perhaps I am wrong. When he looked at you Levi... Did you see it? He definitely found you familiar but you've never-"

"I saw it two years ago in that same damn forest," sighed Levi, bringing his palm up to cradle his forehead in preparation for the sheer amount of shit he was about to have dumped on him. 

There was a beat of silence.

"…What. Did. You. Say?"

"Tch... It was  _that_  bloody Titan that saved my life, back when I was knocked down by that cadet and you found me in the carts. It took out the Titan that attacked me, squashing it flat like a fucking bug,"

There was a tense intake of breath and suddenly two hands clawed up Levi's jacket as he was pulled close to the crazed scientist as they stared at him with dead eyes. 

"...You mean to tell me that you knew about this thing for two years and you never told me?" They asked in a quiet, honeyed tone. 

"I thought it was just a fucking fever dream. A Titan that kills its own kind? I thought I was batshit- and how could it have tended to my wounds like that?" Replied Levi with a growl, wiping their hands off his chest and scowling at the invisible dirt on his clothes. 

Hanji blinked twice in surprise, eyes coming alive again as they surveyed the small man. 

"You mean he saved your life  _and_  patched you up? How could that be!? Even if he did have enough intelligence for that, his hands were too large, he would have squashed you,"

"Yes... There is something we're missing about all this and I don't like not knowing what. For now, we keep the fact that this same Titan has died twice already quiet until we have a better idea of what we are dealing with,"

They both looked down again at the street below as the last remnants of flesh melted back and bone crumbled into dust. 

"...He came back once... will he do it again?"

"If it does, we will be prepared," stated the man, eyes flashing. 

Hanji stared at Levi with raised eyebrows, opening their mouth with a peculiar twist to their lips.

"Commander Levi!" called out a new voice, cutting off their conversation like a slammed door with the sheer waves of fear and desperation rolling off of its tone. 

"Another Aberrant appeared, it destroyed the Rose gates! The wall has been breached."  

 

* * *

 

 

The boy wasn't waking up. 

That was unsurprising to Armin's mind given his condition when he fell on top of them, blood trailing after him like water from a stream as he rolled over the cobbles. 

No- what was surprising to Armin was the fact that he _could_ wake up again. That after only two days it now looked like he could open his eyes at any moment, if the faint murmurings and twitches in his body could be anything to go by. 

His breathing had ceased to rattle and gurgle, the steady stream of blood and clear yellow fluids running from his ears and nose had stopped and the pale blue colour had left his face, leaving his skin with a light (admittedly still cold) tan. 

" _How_  is he alive?" He asked Mikasa again as they sat around him on the boat, sailing as fast as it could away from the fallen walls from where the armoured Titan had burst through. Making its escape from that place where humanities hopes were shattered with broken stone and burning tears. 

Mikasa made no comment, simply staring down at the boy with his blood encrusted head secure on her bruised lap. One hand on his arm and the other tangled in the red scarf he gave her. 

Armin sighed and looked up at Hannes who sat next to them, head swathed in bloody bandages, staring down at the boy with a complex expression on his face.  

"His gear is all wrong," he suddenly said, causing the two to look up at him in surprise. 

"What?" Asked Armin, curiously. 

"The straps have been tied together using some sort of weave of grass, not buckles, his canisters are beaten far too much to be cleared for service and the grapples are bent and blunt,” He listed off in quick succession as he learned forwards to have a better look. “The straps running over his body haven't been positioned correctly- so he can't put his weight into it as well as he should- and then there's the belt itself. It has a fault pin missing, meaning he shouldn't be able to stay upright beyond three seconds, let alone bloody move with it."

"But he could move, he moved better than any of the others I saw," stated Armin in confusion, looking up from his smooth sleeping face to Hanne's weary confused one. 

"Yeah, I haven't seen anyone move like him for a long time and yet he can't be older than ten or twelve," muttered Hanse, rubbing his forehead.

"It doesn't make sense! He's even wearing a scout’s cloak! See the insignia on the back here!" He suddenly snapped, forcefully pointing at the green cloak, now pulled back at his neck in the gap between Mikasa's thighs and the wooden deck. 

Mikasa looked up at this, glaring at Hannes's finger until it was carefully retracted. 

"Couldn't he be part of the scouts?" Asked Armin in a careful low voice as Mikasa turned back to her unblinking vigil of the boy. 

"Son, the scouts are desperate for recruits but even they don't take children,"

"Don't call me son." Said Armin shortly before rubbing his eyes and returning to the topic at hand.  "Then how did he learn to do all that?" 

Hannes smiled ruefully, leaning back and wincing as his bandaged head hit the wood. 

"That's the question isn't it? Along with: where on earth his family is, how he isn't dead with the amount of glass and crap we pulled out of him and what the hell that is," he rattled off before pointing at the wooden spear by Armin's side. 

Armin looked down at the thing. He hadn't paid much attention to it admittedly beyond picking it up along with his fallen saviour. 

The sturdy moss stained staff stood tall, to Armin at least, with three strong, thick sticks bound together with black cable and grass weaves. It appeared to be a perfect height for the wild haired boy who had used it to such deadly effect. 

It held what looked like a Titan killing blade as the spear tip. 

He picked it up and tentatively ran his finger across it. 

"It's blunt." He stated, eyes wide in surprise. 

"What?" Hannes blinked in surprise then reached forward to do the same as Armin. 

"You're right! You couldn't cut butter with this... but he used this to... I'm actually getting angry now at how much this doesn't make sense." He released the spear and ran his hands through his hair in confused desperation. 

The boy moaned slightly in his sleep, drawing all of their attention. 

"Karlua... Nein..." He murmured before settling down again, face calm and positively serene. 

"He's around our age," murmured Mikasa, looking up at Hannes with wide round eyes, unvoiced plea hanging in the air. 

Hannes huffed out a gruff breath. 

"Fine. If you're so set on keeping him- don't look so surprised Armin, I know you are- we're going to have to get rid of all this. We don't want bloody pencil pushers to charge him for stealing."

He leant forward to detach the green cloak from the boy but soon stopped when a vice like grip pinned his hand still. 

There was a beat of silence. 

"Hanse, let go of his cloak," Armin said in a careful tone. 

The man let go of the cloak and the boy let go of his hand, eyes still shut to the world and breathing deep and even.

Hannes sat there, hand frozen in place. 

"...Right...okay..." He breathed, before carefully shuffling back. 

"...Let's just say a Scout gave it to him to keep him warm, we can use it to cover up his gear for now," Armin spoke quietly, trying to cover up his own shock at the apparently unconscious boy's sudden movement. 

Hanse carefully leaned back against the wall, closely watching the boy yet keeping his distance. 

Mikasa simply continued to look at the stranger on her lap, eyes as soft as Armin had ever seen them. 

"How are your legs Mikasa?" He asked 

"They don't hurt as much," she replied, finally looking up at him with a faint sad smile. 

**" _Hanse take Armin. Run, it's coming!"_**

Armin leaned his head against her shoulder, closing his eyes, trying to keep his breathing steady. 

"...Never again," he murmured. 

Mikasa shifted slightly underneath him. 

"...Never do that to me again, never tell me to leave you to die," he whispered into her arm. 

"Armin-"

"No. Mikasa.  **Promise**  me you will never do that again." Armin spat, looking up to meet her eyes through wavering vision. 

Mikasa looked shocked, eyes round and wide but she nodded. 

Armin's head fell, hair covering his face as sobs raked through his body. 

"What's going to happen to us all now?" He asked, small strangled voice wavering with each tremoring sob.

"I don't know," Mikasa admitted, wrapping her arm around him and pulling him close, her other hand holding tight to their unconscious saviour. 

 

* * *

 

…Gentle hands swept through his hair. 

_Karlua..._

He smiled faintly, leaning into the touch. The hands stilled but did not leave him.  

A frown settled on the Hunter's face. The hands were warm, _really_ warm. 

Teal green eyes flickered open and suddenly there was a concerned face looking down at him, a faint upturn to its thin lips. 

For a moment he was frozen, staring up at this strange human who was brave enough to touch him. 

Then he was moving, flipping up to his feet and spinning back, one leg drawn back, the other firm beneath him, arms tucked tight into his body in a defensive stance. 

The world wavered in his eyes, a throbbing burning sensation stretching from crown to toe, but he held himself still, eyes narrowed and calculating. 

"Hey, calm down, are you okay?" Asked a blond boy who slowly stood, palms held up flat. 

The Hunter's eyes flickered from one to the other, then to the many humans sat around them, all watching. 

His breath came hard and fast as he looked around himself. 

"You're safe," said the female, staring directly at him, red scarf wrapped tight around her neck. 

And suddenly the Hunter recognised them. 

The tense ache to his shoulders eased as he found his body relaxing, against his expectations. 

The two little humans had found him...

"My name is Armin, and this is Mikisa," said the blond one, Armin apparently, in a soft voice. 

The quiet down turned eyes and shy lilt to his voice... something about his small fragile appearance made the Hunter return the complement of names without thinking. 

"Freut mich. Ich heiße Jäger" he said, unsteadily releasing his fighting stance and standing tall to look directly at the boy. 

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the female tense up. 

_Shit. Did I speak wrong? Can they tell?_

"Uh what?" Asked Armin with a perplexed crinkle on his forehead. 

...It appeared that perhaps the human simply had difficulty understanding him...

The Hunter frowned for a moment then tried again.

'I- name Jäger- uh is Hunter,"

The girl in his red scarf stiffened again at his name, standing up to look at him. 

"Yäger..." she murmured. 

The Hunter squinted at her, looking the young one up and down. 

Then the world shook under his feet and he looked around in alarm, wincing as he moved his head too fast, sending shockwaves of pain reverberating through his body. 

Arms were suddenly on him, pulling him down, and for a moment he made to struggle, then the grip gentled and the girl, Mikasa, made soft shushing noises. 

"You shouldn't move, you're still healing,"

The Hunter stared at her with incredulous wide eyes, but somehow, against all sense or reason, he felt his muscles relax and mould to her body as she held him warm against her.

The Hunter's confused eyes flickered to the little blond one, Armin, who seemed to be faintly amused by his bewildered expression. 

"You're alright," he told him, hand suddenly on his, squeezing tight. 

The Hunter looked down at this small hand, pale and delicate against the thick, tanned skin of his own. 

He sat there, looking blankly from one to another as they stared at him. 

There was a strange but similar expression in both of their faces, a quiet upturn to their lips and a calm steady look from their eyes that felt somehow... hot... warm. 

It was very... different...

The Hunter looked down, away from their stares as he felt his face grow hot, completely wrong footed and simply uncertain of how to react to whatever was going on. 

Luckily he didn't have to do anything as the moment quickly broke with the arrival of another human. 

The larger blond man stared down at the three with raised eyebrows before squatting down next to the Hunter. 

The Hunter felt all the tension that had left his body return tenfold, causing a rippling spasm of pain to lance up his back. 

Mikasa frowned as she felt the faint shake and stiffness of the boy in her arms. 

The Hunter's face was immobile to the distant pain however as he faced the man with Titan killing blades and worried brown eyes.  

"Hannes, back up a bit," said the nice blond boy, looking from the Hunter to Mikasa with a faint nod to her. 

The blond man, Hannes, moved back, and while the tension didn't leave the Hunter, his breathing came a little easier. 

Especially as his memory threw up the image of the man trying to help these two... and being an inch from fleeing...

A firm scowl threatened to overcome his features as he looked at the man before his eyes fell on the blood stained bandage and the furrowed concerned look on his face. 

"I'm glad you're awake. Are you feeling okay?" He asked, still keeping his distance as his eyes swept over the Hunter. 

As the man came to look at his face the Hunter felt his breath still, suddenly realising the obvious. 

His hands scrabbled at his neck, frantically pulling up the hood but dislodging the one who held him in his hurry. 

His back felt cool as the three humans looked startled at his actions. 

"Uh- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare," said the man in a careful slow voice. 

The Hunter looked round at the girl, Mikasa, who sat an inch away from him but no longer held him in her arms, then to Armin who had retracted his hand and was looking at him with wide considering eyes. 

His eyes flickered from one to another with a strange feeling growing in his stomach, like the bottom had been hollowed out. 

Were they scared of him again? He supposed it was natural but...

"...Sooree," he murmured quietly.

Then those arms were suddenly around him again and the boy shook his head with a rueful small smile. 

"No- don't apologise Yä- uh- Jäger. Really, you just startled us a bit," 

"Scared?" He found himself asking before he could stop himself. 

And then Mikasa was in front of him, hands gently pushing back his hood, shocking the Hunter so much with her actions that he let her pull the material back, exposing his face to the world. 

"Yes, but not of you," she said. 

They weren't scared of him... They didn't know...

The Hunter stared and stared until his eyes started to itch and he pulled his gaze away from her dark grey eyes to look away, out at his surroundings.

His forehead crinkled in confusion at what he saw. 

Trees speed past and grassy plains spread out before them, moving past them as the world continued to faintly move up and down. 

 

The Humans all around them, who had been blankly staring at him, now stared out at this strange phenomenon with vacant expressions. 

"What- go- happen?" He asked, waving his arm vaguely at his surroundings, looking at Armin and Hannes now. 

Armin's eyes seemed to shutter and grow cold with thought. 

The Hunter turned to stare worriedly at Hannes who was biting his lip. 

Then Hannes started talking. 

It was soon apparent that they thought he meant 'what happened with the battle?' not the strange moving trees. But he didn't correct him as the story started to spill out of their hesitant lips. 

The Hunter did not understand every word but could not stop the faint furious whine escaping his lips as he realised:

_It happened again. I failed. I couldn’t protect them all properly._

Then he was told of the Armoured Titan. 

_Another one? Did it have thought too? It disappeared just like the other..._

"Then the last three days we have been on these boats going to the inner walls,"

_Wait...what?_

There were several things wrong with that sentence, the Hunter wasn't quite sure where to start. 

"...free day?" He finally asked wide eyed.  

He'd been asleep for three days?! 

"Yeah, but consider yourself lucky to wake up at all," said Hannes with a tired sigh "you were in one hell of a bad shape when we found you,"

Ignoring the words that didn't make sense the Hunter thought back to everything else he had said. 

"Bot? Inner wall?"

He remembered boats, vaguely, that boats used to sail at sea didn't they? 

_The sea..._

His eyes lit up as he stood and made his way to the edge of the 'boat' but he found himself instead simply facing a muddy brown river. 

Another spasm of pain contorted his frame at his quick movement and he soon found himself kneeling on the floor, the world dimming. 

It was Armin this time, who pulled him back to the ground. 

"Jeeze stop moving, you're like a sick cat," he sighed as the Hunter fell immobile and limp in his soft grip. "You nearly died only three days ago. Give yourself time before you start running around like that," 

The Hunter blinked sluggishly staring up at the dark sky from between Armin's arms. It was much closer than the sky should be, right?

"What?" He asked, pointing up with a loose wave of his hand. 

"It's the passageway into the inner wall. You're all safe now," said Hannes, standing up from his watch of the Hunter to talk to the other passengers.  

The Hunter's felt his eyes expand in surprise as the meaning of those words finally sunk in. 

Another set of walls to keep the humans safe... and he was going inside it. 

The Hunter, a Titan, was being brought into the heart of the humans land. 

A cold sweat prickled at his skin as the darkness faded into light and the open sky once again beamed down at them with its watery sunshine. 

"Welcome to Wall Rosé. _Yeager_ , welcome to Trost" murmured Mikasa. 


	7. The human life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm back from Unst :) and let me tell you... there is NO phone reception there. Like you have to climb to the top of a hill to get one bar. And there's even less WiFi! Still a very beautiful place though, loads of friendly grey seals :)
> 
> Am very happy to be back home again though! And what's a better welcome home present than seeing your fic has got over 300 Kudos and 3000 views! Yay! 
> 
> I'm starting my first teaching job in a week and a half so updates might be a little more sporadic in the future but I'll try to get another chapter up before then :)
> 
> Here's hoping you all enjoy this chapter! xx

 

* * *

 

"Shove off imp. You're not getting through. Stop trying to kill yourself!" Snarled the soldier, bringing down the short pole in front of the scruffy haired urchin before him. 

The Hunter hissed as he was shoved back by another guard to the ground, a small puff of dirt encircling him as he quickly scuffled off the loose earth and glared heatedly at the two men. 

He had hoped that in the daytime their attentions would be directed more towards those which tried to enter from the other side but his hopes had quickly been dashed, much like the dirt beneath his feet. 

Perhaps the cusp of morning would be a better bet but he was starting to be recognised by these people and he could not afford that. 

Confidence had been slowly filling his actions as he moved around the many humans, as he finally accepted that his face was not seen as deformed, nor any sign of his true nature immediately obvious to any of those around him. 

That did not stop him from being wary, however, as he skirted a distance from the many Garrison and Military members that patrolled the walls. This wariness was what finally drove him away from the two humans as they continued their pointless guard. 

The small growth of confidence was not all that fuelled his motions however. A strange twitching had started to overcome his every movement as he slowly, _painfully slowly,_ tried to adapt to the peculiar incarceration he, and the humans he travelled with, had found themselves in. 

An odd jumping feeling filled his very bones as he was forced into inactiveness by the high walls and flashing Titan blades that seemed to surround him from every angle. 

Oh how he wanted to run, wanted to jump, to breathe free, to _fly_. 

But instead his body still felt weak, over a month later and he still could not lift quite as much as he was used to, his movements were faintly sluggish to his mind and he found everything around him a source of exhaustion and anger. 

 _Everything except for them_ , he thought as he entered the court yard and saw his two humans lining up with the others, distinctive now for more than the red scarf and yellow hair. 

Their faces were now engraved on the Hunter's mind. 

Sparkling blue and Black iridescent eyes, thin and soft lips, small noses and soft small hands, hair the colour of the gentle sun loving flowers he used to see sometimes, and hair a warm shade of midnight. 

-And the way they still looked at him, the Hunter still didn't know what it meant but only one other living thing he had ever met had ever held such an expression for him. 

No. They didn't anger him. Not at all. 

His lips twitched faintly as their eyes fell on his.

"Eren," called Armin, waving his arm. 

Oh and that was another thing he was getting used to. Humans had more than one name. It confused him initially when Mikasa became Mikasa Ackerman and Armin became Armin Arlert. But when he thought about it, it made a kind of sense. Humans turned out to be far more complex than the rambling dim eyed acquaintances he had before. Armin wasn't quite a soldier like his name suggested but he had the determination of one at times and Arlert sounded quite similar to Arnelrdt- to rule. 

He had quickly decided that if Armin were to be in charge, his quick wit and friendly manner would have been the saving of many. Unfortunately he hadn't seen it the same way when the Hunter tried to explain his name. 

Perhaps he had yet to grow into his name like the Hunter had when he was first given his. 

Mikasa he wasn't certain of. He didn't know what her first name meant and her second name just didn't seem to fit. A field man? 

Sure, they were told to work on the fields but that didn't make any difference to who she was. 

She was more of a protector, determinately looking after him and Armin whether they liked it or not. 

She also had a quiet secret smile that she hid from many but would often bequeath to him and Armin. Again he was a bit unsure about why but he found he couldn't question it.

And so he had secretly taken to calling her Mikasa Adelina in his head. 

Teal eyes focused on her now as he saw what she held in her arms, trying not to frown at the sight of _The Bread_. 

They were going to try to get him to eat again...

He huffed out a tired breath and sauntered over to them, trying his best to look well fed and happy. His little Adelina wasn't having any of it. 

"Eat," Mikasa ordered, pushing the bread into his arms. 

"Eat a-red-ey. No need bread," he lied with a casual shrug of his shoulders. 

"Eren you need to eat," said Armin in his quite worried voice. 

The Hunter grimaced as his 'human' name was used against him in that tone. The name sort of sounded like his word for honour, but not quite. He wasn't quite sure why they decided to call him that but he supposed it was better than Hunter at the moment.

He couldn't live up to his old name right here and now.

 

**"What's your first name Jäger?" Armin asked as they left the boats, holding the Hunter's arm firmly over his shoulder to support him as they moved.**

**He simply looked at him with confusion as an old man that Armin seemed to be familiar with - _like family herds_ , the Hunter thought- helped support Mikasa to walk by their side. **

**"What did your father an- or your mother call you?" Armin tried again.**

**"Farder? Mofer?"**

**Mikasa and Armin exchanged a quick worried look. Armin’s wrinkled kin watched with a troubled crinkle in his brow.**

**"...the people who looked after you when you were young, who gave birth to you,"**

**He hadn't been quite sure of all of these words but he found his lips moving before he could stop himself.**

**"No, did not. Karlula named little Hunter; is that name? Little?"**

**Mikasa shook her head.**

**"We'll find you a name, you need one for registering,"**

 

This 'registering' proved to be a mistake however. All it did was make the humans aware he was there and try to make him eat things. 

The Hunter, or Eren as he was trying to now call himself, did not like eating. 

He had resisted for as long as he could, finding the whole practice disturbing to watch, but the scared looks on his Adelina's and sunny flower's faces made his insides twist up and had him finally give in and put the strange brown lump in his mouth. 

He knew it had been a mistake the instant the _Thing_ touched his tongue. 

The soft, mushy stuff had squelched and broke beneath his teeth, bringing up nauseating parallels as he struggled to swallow it down. Then the food sat heavy inside him, an unfamiliar weight that made his whole body itch at he tried to acclimatise to it. 

What happened several hours later only made the whole experience ten times as worse. 

Needless to say he had been trying to avoid it ever since but that proved difficult with the fact that humans ate three times a day and he was, in appearance at least, a human -and he was starting to _seriously_ worry the 'other' two humans. 

With a pained grimace he took the bread, ripping off a small third of it before passing it back to a satisfyingly surprised Armin. 

They quietly sat down together against a nearby wall, companionably eating the bread. 

While the other two looked at their own food the Hunter- 

_No, Eren_

                                                                                       - Eren ripped his bread in half, stowing it away in his pocket in a flash and quickly moving his jaws as if he was eating. 

He smiled companionably with Armin who returned a watery version before returning to stare down at his meagre rations. 

The hun- _Eren's_ fake chewing slowed as he watched Armin stare down at his food with shining eyes. A faint spasm in his lips was suddenly covered up as he wolfed down his bread, his blond brow deeply furrowed. 

Armin's smiles had become few and far between for the last few days after that crease- faced man had told them he would be leaving. 

Eren had been confused about the whole thing- where was the man going? Why did everyone look so sad about it? Why did they smell of fear? - but he didn't want to push his saddened human into explaining. 

 

In the end he didn't need to. 

That day after Armin came back from the gate, face glistening with tears and a familiar straw hat in his hands, that was the day everything changed. 

 

* * *

 

 

Eren had been walking by the walls when he saw the many hundreds of people walking past to the gates. 

_Where are they going? Are they leaving?_

Perhaps this was his chance. He could slip in and hide himself among the humans as they made their way through. 

But then his eyes caught a familiar golden bob of hair and he saw Armin's face as the crease skinned man gently placed his hat on the blond crown of hair and walked out into the Titan's territory with the others. 

Eren felt himself freeze in place as a cold suspicion crept over him and he saw the shaking fearful faces of the humans who pushed past him. 

Then suddenly Armin was there, bumping blindly into him as the little boy made his way to escape away from the reality of what was happening before him. 

Armin looked up, blue eyes wider than Eren had ever seen them and skin paler than milk, and Eren took him into his arms. 

He hadn't ever done it before, holding a person in such a way to give comfort but he knew that was what Armin needed as his hitching, breaking sobs shook Eren's body. 

It took a long time but eventually, once Armin's breath evened and the wet feeling on his chest faded, Eren drew back to meet faded blue eyes with determined ocean green. 

Slowly but surely Armin came back into himself, nodding faintly when Eren took his small hand with a soft questioning look, leading them back to where Mikasa was. 

Mikasa, who took one look at Armin before enveloping him in her arms as tears sprung anew. 

"Good riddance," said a snide voice not too far away. 

Eren looked up to where the two Military soldiers stood, staring at those who walked by. 

"We'll finally have enough food now that those freeloaders are fucking off back where they came from," 

Eren's wide eyes froze as understanding of these words washed through his mind. His eyes found Armin who had frozen in an alarmed Mikasa's tight grip. 

"Should’ve thrown these fuckers back where they belong ages ago, why should we hafta give our food to those lousy outsiders? Fuckin Titans better eat them all properly this time"

-And Eren was moving. He was moving before he even knew it, his fist slamming into the wall beside the "human"s face, fracturing the stone in his sheer rage. 

"You not human. You worse Titan," he snarled, vivid wild eyes wide and canines flashing before he was bodily pulled back into Mikasa's arms. 

"Sorry sir, that will not happen again," she stated as she pulled back the boy from the shocked soldier before he could regain what little wits he had and seek retribution. 

Eren threw himself out of her grip as they rounded the corner and fell to the earth. 

"Why?" He asked, voice low with a hint of growl as he tried to rein himself in around the human. 

"Think about it Eren. They deserve many bad things for talking like that but what would happen if you fought them?"

Eren looked blankly at her. 

"Would win, make not want talk bad,"

"But what would happen to you?" She asked. 

Eren fell silent then Armin spoke up. 

"Thank you Eren for doing that but... I don't want to you to fight my battles. I don't want you to get in trouble," 

Eren felt an influx of thoughts at this, none of them pleasant. 

"Not only your battle, every human. ALL! How can?! Not talk such like that!" He threw his hand to the earth, faintly feeling a light bruising pain sweeping over them as he glared up at the two humans. 

There was a beat of silence. 

"Pick your battles Eren, or you will never win any of them," snarled Mikasa before taking Armin's hand and leading him away. 

Eren sat in silence, staring down at the blood filled bruise sweeping over his fingers. 

 _Pick your battles_...

He hadn't been doing that at all. 

He simply reacted. He fought when he felt it was right and it had been...

Well no. It hadn't been quite right, they _said_ it wasn’t right.

At this his thoughts calmed and he remembered the hurt look on Armin's face as he shouted out his own pain, not thinking of his. 

He thought of before, back to the day of the breach, of how he sent the humans to draw in those Titans, allowing him time to save his humans. He thought of how he was able to quickly dispatch the Titans by choosing where and how he would fight. 

His Adelina was right, the only choice he made before and since then was to blindly attack. 

It didn't stop the bubbling rage inside however as he slammed his fist down on stone once more. 

Fine. If he was to pick his battles he would choose one right now. He would go fight! Go out through the walls! He would- he would-

Armin's broken face came back to his mind and Mikasa's deadened voice. 

Eren felt his breath hitch in his throat and he stood up, turning to follow his humans only to find them still there, staring at him from several meters away as he slowly came forward and faced them. 

"Sor," he whispered. 

Mikasa looked at Armin then sighed, pulling the scruffy haired brat before her into a hug. 

"If you hadn't done it first. I probably would have," she admitted. 

Armin smiled weakly at the two before he was pulled in to their tight hug as well. 

 

* * *

 

 

It was early the next morning and Eren had made his decision. 

Quietly he made his way through the streets, bare feet soft against the cobbles, making no sound. But then two familiar smells wafted over with a gentle breeze, smelling of sweet earth and mellow herbs. 

He wasn't alone. 

"Where are you going Eren?" Asked Mikasa quietly. 

"No-thing, move and see," replied Eren, feeling his ears warm as he looked out into the fading dark, feeling his humans drawing close to his side.

He felt the dark eyed stare piercing into him as he tried to avoid her pointed look. 

"You were trying to get past the wall again weren't you?" she breathed. 

Eren looked round in surprise at this. She knew of his attempts? Armin gasped up in horror. Obviously he hadn't. 

"What?" He asked in a wavering voice. 

"Woher weißt du das?" Eren sighed before seeing their expressions. Damn he didn't mean to say it like that. 

"How uh- see?" He asked in their language. 

"I followed you the other night, I saw you try to sneak past the guards," 

Eren felt his hands clench into fists. 

"Can not stay. Name is less. I-"

"-you want to fight. You want to kill the Titans," stated Mikasa in a blank voice. 

Eren nodded and suddenly found himself sprawled on the ground, face distantly burning with the fierce punch Mikasa delivered. 

He hadn't expected that.

"You will just leave us then? After all we have lost, we're going to lose you too?" She hissed. 

"M-Mikasa!" Armin's voice wavered as he tried to pull her back. 

"No! Eren I don't want you to go. You are an amazing fighter but you are too young. You can't just give up your life."

Eren slowly closed his eyes and when he opened them the Hunter stood up. He stared down at his human, the faint trace of pain forgotten as he looked at her. 

"This giving away life, no freeness" he stated, sweeping his arms around as the sounds of children crying and two men fighting over food like feral dogs filled the sudden silence of the dusky morning. 

"Human need more." He continued, voice low but carrying "Not cage. No ever cage.  Need run and fly. I need f-fight for all. I can do it. Need to. What- what you do if one with strength do not fight for you?" He asked, voice breaking and eyes itching. 

Mikasa and Armin froze, staring at him with wide eyes. 

"…You really want to do this don't you?" Armin eventually whispered, hands still tight on his friend's arms. 

"Need fly, need help" he nodded. 

"Then I'm coming with you," said Mikasa. 

The Hunter faded away and Eren came back, large eyes wide with surprise. 

"No, you no know!" He said, horror at the idea taking over his voice.  

"You saved our lives Eren. I'm not leaving you," she said with a determined flash in her eyes. 

Armin looked nervously up to both of them, his own eyes filled with fear and determination. 

"Me- me neither," he wavered, gaze steady on Eren's "I will come with you," 

Eren stared at the two of them with palatable fear. It was both strange and not strange how quickly he had grown attached to these two humans; how he sought out their soft mellow scents, the small smiles on their lips, the warmth in Mikasa’s arms and the heat in Armin’s words.

He could not let this happen. They would be eaten the moment he let his eyes off them. 

Vivid images filled his head to the brim and the weight of it all pushed him roughly to his knees.  

But they wouldn't just let him go, they would follow him. He could see it as he looked in their faces. 

"Why?" He asked, voice small and confused, looking up at them with pleading eyes. 

Mikasa's hands wrapped around her scarf and Armin stared nonplussed at Eren. 

"You're our friend," said Armin simply. 

_... Friend..._

_I know that wor- oh._ _Right- well... oka- Huh? What?_

"Ours fre-nd," he repeated blankly. 

"Our friend," Armin corrected, faint twitches turning the corner of his mouth. 

Eren found himself mimicking the half smile, a strange sound echoing through his chest as Armin corrected his bad speech once again, even now as they decided to throw in their lot with him against the horror outside their caged haven. 

And that was the truth. They had decided and like _earth_  he was going to let them get killed for him. 

"Yes... Have rule our friend." He said, standing up and taking both of their hands in a strange surge of confidence. 

"What is it?" They asked. 

"Go when one ready. Now I teach." Eren smiled, wide and toothy.


	8. The teachings of flowers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there everybody! So here is that promised chapter before I start my new job.  
> I will be continuing to write my stories I swear, but updates will probably be much more spread out from now on.  
> That said I hope you all like this chapter. Thank you for sticking with me :) x

* * *

* * *

 

 

Eren stared at the equipment before him. Two belts, two sets of body vines, two vine tubes, two metal squeezers and three cans of silver air. 

That would do for now. 

It had taken Eren two weeks to accumulate their supplies to this level without raising suspicion. 

His own equipment was secure against his frame, hidden from view by the bulky clothes he was given and explained about to by Armin.  

He now understood slightly about why humans wore tops, especially with his own muscular structure, but he still wouldn't wear shoes no matter what his two hu- _friends_ would say.

Eren soon came to also understand that there were others out there who could teach his friends how to fight, and that by learning from them they would be let out without gate or pole or fist holding them back. But when he tried to get them to be taught the response had been anything but positive. 

"Grow up first, fucking urchin. Stop coming here." 

_Grow up?_

He asked what that meant, but it soon became apparent that they were fed up with him by this point and he beat a hasty retreat. 

"Eren... It means we're not old enough yet, we need to wait a few years before we apply.  **Also**  we need to do that together! Don't do something like that again without telling us," 

Eren, surprised by Armin's growing angry tone, quickly agreed. 

A few years... how long was that? By the sounds of it, it seemed like a long time. Well while they waited Eren would do everything he could to get them ready to the best of his ability. 

During those weeks he had also been looking for somewhere where he could help them without being seen by others while making his way to and from the fields. 

A thick medium sized grove of trees a good distance off the farm track looked the most promising. They would have to go there in the cusp of morn or eve though to avoid the rest of the farmhands. Also so he wouldn’t fall asleep mid-flight and freak his friends out.

He was improving but he still had serious difficulty staying awake for too long after dark. 

"Eren, you in there?" Came his Adelina's voice. 

"Here Mikasa," he murmured, standing up to look out for his friends within the trees

"Why did you ask us to come here?" Asked Armin as they made their way through the edge of the grove with a faint smile on his lips. The hushed overly secretive way their new friend had whispered the directions had been so very endearing that he hasn't pushed too much to find out, only correcting Eren's: "it good shock" to "it is a surprise". 

"Learn time," Eren now explained to the other two's confusion. 

"I thought he forgot about that," Armin whispered "he hasn't mentioned it for two weeks now,"

Mikasa didn't reply, simply walking up to Eren. Armin sighed and increased his pace to meet his grinning friend. His own distant smile faded as he saw what Eren had in front of him. 

"Eren! Those belong to the military. Did you steal them?" He asked, already knowing the answer. 

"No not all metal. Took them from old build. Not need. They have lot," 

"A lot," he corrected without really thinking. 

"They will notice they are missing though. You cannot steal- that means take without asking- you'll get in trouble," explained Mikasa in a worried tone. 

"They not notice, have lo- a lot of them, I uh-  _steal_  slow. Go when eat in eve. They not notice," he repeated, trying to calm their worried expressions. 

They both still looked faintly concerned but childish curiosity soon overcame their hesitation as they knelt down next to the equipment. 

"What are all these things?" Armin asked. 

Eren's smile almost split his face as he haltingly explained the purpose of each component, pausing occasionally to try to find the right word. 

The people who heard Eren speak in the fields or in their camp thought he was simple, shaking their heads or lording it up over the oblivious boy with patronising smiles and barbed comments.  As Mikasa and Armin had spent more and more time with him over the last few months it became apparent this was not the case at all. 

Eren was raised speaking another language, like those he used to read about in Grandpa's book. 

It would have been hard to realise this if Eren didn't on occasion burst into a flurry of the strange words, rolling and singing off his tongue like water in a stream.   

He was definitely improving on his use of their language though. 

The strange thing was that he still had a lot of difficulty understanding some basic concepts, like clothes (God that had been a hard conversation), bathing (which he had been very interested in once it was explained but obviously still a bit baffled by the reason) and kissing (which had been an awkward experience on all sides and was now understood not to be for friends). 

Armin always wondered where he learned this strange language. But then again, he also wondered why he was so clueless about simple things, how he became so proficient at killing Titans at such a young age and what happened to his family. 

Eren never had an answer to these questions, often shrugging or trying to change the topic. 

He secretly feared the answer when Eren did neither of these things and simply stared at Armin with an empty gaze. That was usually when he tried to ask him about his family and whoever raised him, before he gave up trying to find out. For now. 

Armin came back into the present, trying to focus on the names Eren gave to the pieces of equipment which he was almost 100% sure were wrong. 

Eren did however understand a scary amount about how to use them, securing them into their harnesses and explaining each step to them, before securing their vines-

"I'm sure they're called cables- not vines Eren,"

-their cables into two parallel trees and having them practice balancing. 

Mikasa got it straight away of course. That is until Eren pulled something off her belt and she flipped upside down with a faint squeak. 

"Like mine now, keep tall." He explained, helping her to get the right way up again before moving on to Armin who was struggling to keep himself upright  _with_  a good belt. 

Eren held out his hand for Armin but Armin flushed and looked away. 

"I can do it,"

"It took I tree weeks," Eren said in a quiet voice, pointing at the belt then himself with a twisted smile. "You better most quick," 

Armin looked at him with surprise. 

"But I thought you were a natural," 

Eren crinkled his brow in confusion. 

"Uh- that you were just good at it straight away,"

"No, took two spring times get like, every bit- every day practice. Did no- would not stop," he explained, shaking his head at the notion of 'a natural'.  "You better. Both get much faster," he grins. 

Armin smiled for a moment until loosing balance and falling forward. A hand hovered in front of his face. 

"I've got it, I'm fine!" Said Armin, pushing himself up again. 

Eren looked slightly taken aback but he nodded and turned to Mikasa who seemed to be having much more difficulty now.  

Armin frowned down at the forest floor, five feet beneath him, as he tried again. 

 

* * *

 

Teaching was much harder than Eren had thought it would be. 

Once they had both gotten used to balancing, and Mikasa balancing acceptably in the better belt, he had tried to move them onto- well- moving. 

He thought he would try it first without the belt and soon became glad he did. 

Their stamina and strength was much less than he realised. 

He knew they acted slow and tired after their work on the fields but he had always simply thought it was because they had finished and were conserving energy. 

No, it was more than that. 

They didn't seem to have enough energy at first, saying things like 'we're not used to this’ and 'slow down Eren!' quite often. 

It was while watching two humans fighting over food, the tired way the other humans waited for it and how they all acted after getting it that he finally realised exactly how important the stuff was. 

He knew that they used it like he used sunlight but he hadn't realised that the amount they ate mattered that much. 

 _…A lot_  of things had made more sense at that revelation… but no- Eren couldn’t think of that. He had to think of Armin and Mikasa right now.

He became better and better at pretending to eat his food, sneaking his portions into theirs without them suspecting, putting on then wiping off crumbs from his mouth, ravenously gulping down the space between his hands and dry swallowing air. 

Sometimes the real act of eating couldn't be escaped but he found that he was getting better at dealing with the… ‘subsequent events’. 

Eren had also started again to live up to his old name, in a small way, by seeking out meat for his friends. 

Pigeons were by far the easiest to catch with their lumbering fat bodies and slow reactions, but unfortunately they often roamed the built up areas where human's lived and- well- the other humans didn't take kindly to seeing him hunting near them, using lots of words that made little to no sense. 

He understood the tone of voice though. He stopped hunting in the city and tried to stay away from those humans after that. 

(Strangely enough after mentioning some of these strange words to his Adelina most of them started avoiding Eren in return.)

The woods were much easier. If he was lucky he would sometimes catch a wood pigeon, instead of the usual crow or magpie. 

The first time he brought them meat they seemed strangely hesitant but they quickly grew to accept his offerings with small soft smiles when he halting explained his reasons. 

The only problem was them trying to get him to eat it too. But no way in Earth was he going to do that. He didn't even pretend to eat it, shoving it back to them and "eating" his bread instead. 

Killing the creatures was hard enough, listening to their frantic struggles, trying not to spill blood or tear the flesh too much. There was no way he could breath in their scent or let them anywhere near his mouth. 

He could never eat meat. 

He had to be careful with his false eating, especially with Mikasa, but happily they were slowly gaining more and more energy in their movements. 

When they were to join the military they would get much more food; Eren heard the soldier humans shouting it out to others often enough to be certain. 

Until then  _he_  would keep them full of The Food. 

But over the months, as he took them into the woods almost every night now instead of every other- teaching them how to run for a long time, read the wind, balance in the high branches and create an emergency drey- he started to notice other changes different than the energy in their movements. 

Mikasa was becoming thinner in some places and much thicker in others, specifically in her arms, legs and, strangely enough, her chest- much more than Eren was sure it should be. 

When he mentioned the last one to Armin in his confusion, he straight up told Eren to never mention this to her. Perhaps it wasn't the human thing to do. 

Subsequently Eren kept it to himself as he noticed that Armin was growing thicker legs and could run faster for longer with less wheezing rasping sounds that had always made him worry before. 

Perhaps this was what was meant by growing up, although they seemed to be growing outwards more than up really. 

In addition to this Eren had been noticing the differences between his Adelina and sun flower, differences which steadily grew as they continued to practice with him. 

Both seemed to be getting much better at keeping a pace and using their vin- cables to pull themselves up out of the reach of pretend Titans. 

Mikasa was becoming as fast as one of the deer he used to race in his forests and was starting to beat him on occasion when he did not cheat in their races and lighten his weight. 

But Armin was not nearly as fast, much to the golden one's irritation and displeasure. There was, however, something in his careful measured movements that made Eren pause for thought. 

"Today we hide- we will hide not run," he corrected himself as his two friends sat next to him one evening, backs against one of the larger trees. 

"Hide?" Asked Mikasa in confusion. 

"It makes sense, if there are too many Titans it would be better to not engage," said Armin, crossing his arms behind his head to cushion it from the rough bark. "But how? You said before that their sense of smell was too good to hide when near them,"

Eren grinned at his friend's good memory and quick wit. 

"You move down of air- wind- so smell do- does not move but that not work all time.  That is what we do- um- we  _are_  to talk abut,"

"About," corrected Mikasa. 

"About," Eren corrected himself with only the faintest puff of irritation. 

Armin seemed to be consumed in thought rather than correcting Eren's speech and Mikasa soon joined him. 

"How strong is their sense of smell?" Asked Armin quietly. 

"Very strong. Can smell from ten size this wood, some more.  Ou- their best sense. Sight good- is good- in day but not- uh- focus? Focusing? Focused. Hearing better for most but not much. Nose b- the best," 

Armin looked up at the faint hitch to Eren's voice as he started to speak but it soon mellowed out as Eren haltingly considered their enemy.

Armin vaguely decided to teach Eren more about distances soon before focusing on what his friend had just said. 

 _He really doesn't know- and he's asking us for ideas_. 

A small warm feeling bloomed in his chest as he contemplated Eren's trust in their newly developed knowledge and skill to find the solution- a feeling obviously shared by Mikasa if the faint sparkle in her eyes was anything to go by. 

He frowned as he tried to instead focus not on her eyes but on the problem at hand. 

It sounded like Titans were very reliant on their sense of smell. What would happen if they were to take it out?

"Attack the nose?" Mikasa asked, thinking on a similar, if more violent, wavelength. 

"We are hide- hiding, not using blades."  

"A stink bomb," said Armin suddenly. 

"What th- is that?" asked Eren curiously. 

"It's a bottle or container of some sort that has nasty smelling things in it, such as rotten food like old eggs with water, that you break so it makes a nasty smell. It could block their sense of smell or confuse them so that we could get away," 

Mikasa nodded with an impressed look and Eren considered this thoughtfully. 

"We would need things smell stronger than eggs... But bomb-  _a_  bomb could work," said Eren in a considering voice.

"We could also use whatever smell we find to cover up our own scent, like perfume,"

Eren grinned widely at Armin. 

"You think about, you are good at thinking."

Armin blushed again and opened his mouth to deny this but Mikasa had started talking.

"What about the other senses then?"  

"Sight could be taken by smell, fake not-tears, but don't want trust on that. Today we learn hide- to hide from eyes and ears, and to keep from wind."  

Eren nodded from Mikasa to Armin, wondering if he was going to be right in his guess about Armin. 

 

* * *

 

Eren _was_ right. 

Armin took to this form of stealth even better than Mikasa, who honestly probably would have done better if she hadn't refused to remove the bright red scarf. 

Eventually, after much _much_ discussion, Eren managed to convince her to tuck it into her shirt but his sharp eyes often still found little peeps of red marking her location in the tree tops. 

It would do for a normal Titan probably but he was still a bit irritable about it all. 

Not  _too_  irritable, though, when he thought back to how they got that scarf. 

 _She would probably be happy it is being so treasured so much,_  he would think to himself sometimes. 

Armin, while Eren had been spending  time trying to convince Mikasa to change her clothes, had been flying ahead, strapping leaves and grass to his clothing, thinking up silent communication strategies and stepping so quietly with his light frame that he almost completely disappeared into the canopy when Eren had tried to find him. 

As the week's progressed Eren found he could not see him at all when he had hid himself and, indeed, would have been impossible to find if it wasn't for Armin's light herby scent. 

"It is not just forest out there. We need practice hiding on ground and out of trees," Eren explained one day as he called the two of them back, pretending to have given up looking for them. 

And so the game was invented. 

 _A rather fun game, if you ignore the reason for it_ , Eren thought to himself as he walked quietly along the muddy paths in the crop field, moving stealthily from person to person to creep up to his mark. 

Armin let out a yelp as he was bodily lifted into the air. 

"Picked you sunflower," he crowed before letting the struggling boy go. 

"Stop that now, get back to work!" shouted one of the dead eyed women from not far away. 

Mikasa was much more difficult to sneak up on, even for Eren who had only managed to shout out  _"Picked you moon flower!"_ Five times. Armin had only just managed it once and was so startled that he actually did it he forgot to shout out their joke. 

But neither of them could get the drop on Eren who took delight in spinning round in the last second and blowing air in their faces. 

"How do you always know when we're here?" Asked Armin in a petulant voice. 

Eren smiled and tapped his nose. 

A week later, when walking back through the quiet streets, itching an irritable nose, Eren found himself suddenly being lifted into the air,  while two voices behind him shouted:

"Picked you star flower!" 

He spluttered in surprise, rubbing his nose as a strange pungent floral smell hit him in full force before he was lowered gently to the ground. 

His eyes widened and fell on his friends as a jaw aching smile overtook his features. 

"You did it!" 

The three friends smiled at each other, happy grins splitting their faces. 

It was time. 


	9. Joining the Military

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!  
> Ahh! I'm so sorry for being so late on this chapter. My laptop tried to die on me and I had to send it off for repairs. It came back and factory settings had been restored so I lost EVERYTHING on it.  
> I am so so SO glad I regularly back my things up on a memory stick. (Sadly I had forgot to back up all my photos so they're gone now :( )  
> So I don't have to rewrite this chapter and can give it to you guys now. (If there are any mistakes blame the repair guys as there is no Microsoft Word on my computer anymore so I had to use another program which got rid of all my formatting :( )
> 
> I really hope you like it and thanks for being so patient with me x

* * *

 

 

This time they all went together to the recruitment tents. 

Armin did the speaking for them, much to Eren's relief. 

Mikasa and Eren in turn did their best to appear strong and useful with tall confident postures and bare, muscular arms.  The recruiting officer didn't even look at them, instead just asking their ages and for ' _any previous employment_ ' in a lifeless tone, before stamping three brown pieces of paper and shooing them away. 

"Take these through to medical over there, next!"

Eren looked at his two friends in confusion. 

"Medi-cal?"

"Oh, they'll just check us over. They need to make sure we're well enough to fight, checking our temperatures and reactions and so-"

"Eren, what's wrong?" Mikasa interrupted, staring intently at Eren as he stopped walking, foot frozen in the air.  Eren shook his head with a weak smile and made to move to the tent but was stopped by Armin's arm on his. 

"Don't worry, you're as fit as a fid- uh I mean- you're very healthy Eren. You'll get in," Eren nodded and smiled, ever so slightly more convincingly this time. 

 

The nurse tutted pityingly when the three new, barely-legal recruits came through the tent flap, before taking Mikasa to a separate tent as the boys stripped their shirts and waited for the doctor. 

"Eren Yahger?" Asked a doctor from behind a flimsy scene.  Eren felt his face blanch but went anyway, not bothering to correct the Doctor's pronunciation. 

He stopped short as he walked in, staring at the raised leather bed before him, his soft breaths straining at his chest. 

**_“I-it’ll be okay see-y-you’ll be just f- oh go-”_ **

There was a rustling noise as the doctor rummaged through his cupboards and Eren found himself again, standing in a worn out tent, blinking rapidly at the man with a tired gentle look on his face who had just turned around to inspect him. 

The Doctor's eyebrows rose slightly when he saw Eren, eyes trailing down from his face to his stomach to his arms and legs then back to his stomach again.

"How old are you?" The doctor asked as he motioned to Eren to sit down. 

Eren honestly didn't know, he’d never thought to count all the years, but he knew what age he had to be. 

"Thir-teen," he said as he haltingly made to perch on the very edge of the leather bench.  

The Doctor looked at him in surprise then hesitantly nodded his head.  

"Are you sure?...Hmm... well you must be a _really_ early developer then... Farm work it says on your form, that probably helped develop your uh muscular structure. I take it you have been exercising in addition to that," he said, waving his hand in the general area of Eren's body.

Eren nodded, eyes still nervously flickering over his surroundings. 

"Any previous illnesses?" Asked the doctor, holding his fingers to Eren's wrist with a faint frown. 

Eren kept his answers simple as the elderly doctor moved around him full of questions, looking at his ears, eyes and posture. 

"Good reactions," he stated as he put away that funny little hammer that made his knee go all strange. Eren didn't know knees did that.  "I'll just take your temperature and we'll be done," he said as he put a long glass tube in Eren's mouth. 

 _Temperature... That's how warm I am..._ Eren felt a cold drip of sweat steam off the back of his neck at the thought. 

"Doctor? Can I have a word?" Came a soft voice from behind the divider. 

Eren quickly pulled the glass from his mouth the instant the man turned his back on him, far too relieved by the good fortune to pay attention to the familiar voice on the other side. 

The strange silver line in the glass seemed to be slowly sinking as it cooled in the air.  When the doctor finally made to return from the voice, Eren quickly popped the thing back in, holding it gently with his teeth in the space between his tongue and the roof of his mouth. 

"Hmm, slightly warm," said the Doctor, examining it, "but other than that you seem to be quite healthy,"The Doctor smiled sadly at Eren as he stamped down a black tick on the form. 

"Make sure you stay that way,"

 

* * *

 

 

Rolling, rock-filled grassland strolled past the window as Mikasa gazed out of the caravan.  Out the corner of her vision she saw Armin once again being jostled around by the unseen loose stones they rode over. 

She ignored this, along with the teasing smirk Eren threw him, instead electing to stare at the heavily perfumed golden fields of rapeseed they were now slowly passing by.

She hoped there would be more of those plants near their training grounds. It looked as if it could be good for their perfume if the irritated wiggle of Eren's nose was anything to go by. 

They really needed to make much more of the stuff the way Eren had been using it; he seemed to really like the smell for some bizarre reason.   

Mikasa turned her attention to Eren now as he deviated between staring excitedly out of the window and staring shyly at the people within.  It was quite cute really how nervous he could get sometimes. Especially about things that really didn't matter. 

Right now he seemed to be focusing on the blond haired woman they had picked up not long ago, breathing heavily through his nose and giving her a perplexed look. Occasionally he also turned his head to surreptitiously look at another woman with freckles and an unkind expression in her eyes, breathing deeply yet again. 

Was he sniffing people again? _Damn_ she thought he had stopped that after their little talk about personal boundaries and appropriate public behaviour. 

The blond woman either didn't notice or didn't care about his strange behaviour, consistently glowering down at her hands with deep serious eyes. 

The freckled one just glared steadily back at Eren until he got the message and admitted defeat in their little staring contest. 

After Eren gave up on his baffled curiosity, he turned to examine the rest of the passengers once more.  Mikasa held much less interest in these people than Eren seemed to.  

There seemed to be a small skinhead boy who confidently introduced himself as... Connie?- She couldn't remember his second name, it was something to do with one of the seasons- who chatted next to a freckled faced man called Marco.  

Eren seemed to be most interested in him now that he had given up on the angry looking blond.  The smaller and more smiling blond girl who was talking with Armin ( _Missy? Krissy? Something like that anyway_ ) had managed to hold Eren's attention for a grand total of five seconds before he seemed to tune her out and directed his attention elsewhere. 

Mikasa found that slightly odd as usually Eren delighted in seeing her and Armin smile, trying his best to prize one from their lips given any opportunity. She would have thought he'd really like girls like her...

Mikasa put away that thought and tried to concentrate again on their soon to be fellow cadet's conversations. 

"-ning the military? That's what most of us are probably trying, damn shame they only let the top ten in," Connie spoke with a nonchalant sigh "You better get practicing if you want in there Marco," Marco grinned and nodded. 

"It would be amazing to be able to protect the king," he smiled dreamfully.  

"Huh, I'll bet. Also the fact that there are no nasty Titans to fight there has no effect on your decision what-so-ever," snarked that girl with freckles and thin black hair. 

"In royal military you do not fight Titans?" Came Eren's voice suddenly, surprising the others who had not heard a word out of him since his name. 

"Yeah, the royal lot stay inside the inner walls and have the cushy jobs, but you have to be in like the top ten of the class to get in there," said Connie with a grin, turning to face Eren.  Eren nodded, seemingly in deep thought.  

"So you want to join the Military too Eren?" Asked Marco politely.  Eren looked up at this with a look of faint surprise on his face. 

"No. I want join Survey." 

There was a beat of silence. 

"You simple or something?" Asked the unkind, freckled girl incredulously. "Who in their right minds wants to join the Survey corpses?" 

"Me," said Mikasa, turning to look her dead in the eye. 

"Me too," said Armin, breaking away from the smiling blond girl to nod at Eren who was giving them both a twisted half smile. 

Connie stared incredulously from one to another then shook his head. 

"I think they’re crazy, more than simple," he stated before clearing his voice and trying to steer the conversation back to safer waters. "Any idea what the training's gonna be like?"

Mikasa turned to look back out of the window. If it was anything like Eren's training she'd be surprised. 

At times like this, when he was looking around at the new sights and new people with his huge, excitable green-blue eyes, it was easy to forget what Eren really was. 

When he was running in the forest it was hard to see anyone else but the young man who had dropped from the heavens in a rain of fury and compassion, pulling them from the jaws of death and calmly reassuring them without uttering a single word. 

His movements were so fluid yet controlled, no gangling prepubescent stiffness like she saw in the few other teenage boys she encountered and summarily dismissed.  His speed and strength were unparalleled, he moved like he was part of the wind, and in his mind he held the passion of fire, consuming all it touched. 

But he could also be filled with such stupid innocent wonder, playing games like hide and seek, racing and pick-a-flower with her and Armin, making them laugh and smile in every one of his ‘lessons’. 

She would have feared that the world would cut down that smile if not for the memory in her mind: a blood stained little boy with sharp focused eyes and a kind smile as he stretched out his hand to her.  

...Training here was going to be very different but with those two by her side she was certain it could be done. 

 

* * *

 

 

Eren straightened his back once again, resisting the urge to shuffle his cramped feet. 

 _Why did the military have to wear clothes like this? Really what was the point?_  

Luckily he had managed to get one of the larger tops but it was still far too tight on his legs and feet.  How was he supposed to gain a good grip for using the gear without his feet?

Wisely, he decided not to push with these concerns however. The humans giving out the equipment and clothes looked far too busy and frustrated to answer questions. 

He’d felt pretty much the same as he was jostled from table to table, being told to pick object after object and trying not to trample, or get trampled on by, the people around him. 

So as a result, there Eren was, wearing more clothes than he had ever worn before, trying to stand up straight in the correct posture as sunlight hammered in on him and the man before them all paced up and down. 

The man, Shadis, was interesting to say the least. Tall, weathered and flinty eyed, he struck an imposing figure to the recruits. 

Eren thought he looked quite grumpy, sort of like Mikasa did when people said odd things to him or Armin.  He was currently shouting things about barns and pigs at a young man, named Thomas Wagnar (if the younger man's panicked shouts could be trusted). 

 _Perhaps he’s angry because he doesn’t know everyone well? He’s probably being grumpy because he wants the humans to see him as the pack leader straight away_ , he mused to himself.

Eren didn't think that approach would have been very good when he was teaching Mikasa and Armin. Perhaps a friendlier approach would be better? But then again- he really couldn't imagine playing pick-the-flower with this man. 

Another trickle of sweat gently steamed off his back but he bore through the heat, finding himself instead being distracted by a strong scent drifting up from behind him. 

It was hard to distinguish over the flower perfume, but it smelt familiar.  It was slightly like Annie's, who smelt strange like iron and soap and... something else.

But this one was somehow nicer... It was more... more-

The wind changed, blowing past Instructor Shadis.  

Eren's nostrils flared and he had to battle with himself to keep his face from dissolving into surprise. He definitely knew that scent.He had come across this man before! But when? 

It was then that Eren realised that Shadis's sunken and heavily shadowed pinprick eyes were focused on him. 

"What's your name?" Shadis asked, slowly walking up to stand before him. 

"Eren Jäger," he replied promptly, staring straight ahead as he belatedly remembered Armin's warning about not looking instructors in the eye. 

Eren blinked in surprise as the human’s forehead crashed down on his, creating an echoing clunk of skull on skull. 

Eren stumbled back half a step before righting himself and simply looking back up at Shadis with blank surprise as the man stared down at him consideringly.  

"It's 'Eren Jäger, Drill Sergent.' Remember that you little maggot," he stated, still looking down at him with an irritable and, ever so faintly, bemused expression. 

That was when the last piece clicked and Eren knew where he had met the man before. 

In his forest. 

He was that pack lead- no- commander from all those years ago. The one whose confused eyes he met after he witnessed his slaughtering of the Titan mass.   

His eyes widened and he quickly stammered out his correction. 

 _Did he recognise me? Could he recognise me?_  

Luckily it didn't seem so as the commander moved past, eyes focused on Connie who seemed to have done his salute incorrectly. 

From what Eren could recall, the man had changed a lot from the last time he saw him. Any trace of kindness had been hollowed away, replaced by deep crevices in his face, dark eyes and a harsh tone. 

He wondered what the earth happened to him in that time. He knew for a fact humans shouldn't age that fast.  In the end Eren, Shadis and many of the other recruits were distracted from their inner musings as a young woman with red hair started loudly munching on a potato.

 

* * *

 

 

After the strange potato girl was sent off to do endless repeated laps, the Drill sergeant quickly organised an athletic test for the rest of the trainees. 

"Let's see how fast you little children can run from Titan jaws!" Barked Shadis, glare spurring on the nervous recruits. 

Armin huffed in a deep breath as they started off their trial running, moving from one side of the field to another, under the sharp shadowed eye of Instructor Shadis. 

"Keep it up children, I'm not impressed yet!"

Armin kept a quick pace at the front of the horde of panting cadets; breathing slowly, in through his nose and out of his mouth. However his even steps stuttered as a startling new thought arose. 

He hadn't told Eren to rein it in. 

How the **hell** had he forgotten to do that?!

His eyes widened as he imagined his occasionally cocky friend tearing strips of earth off the field as he ploughed up and down, confusing the hell out of everyone. 

It would be even worse when they start on the gear. He didn't want to imagine all the trouble that would bring. 

Armin looked around the front line of runners for Eren, thinking to angle himself to run by him and quickly whisper his warning, but he couldn't see him. 

Eren was, in fact, not at the front... he was in the back... running in perfect pace with the kind blond girl from the caravan and several weedy and overweight looking people, lagging behind some of them actually...

 _Huh... perhaps he actually understands_ , Armin thought hopefully, before turning back to his own running.

He would have to talk to him sometime soon about overdoing it though.   


	10. A soldiers life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! So sorry about the slow updates. When I have a moment I'll try and speed things up but work is kind of taking over everything. (I have over 30 children in my class, I have to mark 2-4 sets of books every evening which takes about 3 minutes per book so that's about 2-3 hours of marking on top of making resources, some lesson planning and staff meetings and parent meetings and- phew- let me just tell you, it's a tad bit tiring.)
> 
> I absolutely love writing though and I don't want to stop, not now, not ever. So I will continue to share my work with you all, no matter how long it takes me. Thanks for being patient enough to keep sticking with me :)

* * *

The wooden hall echoed with heavy exhausted breaths as Eren trailed through the shattered humans, following his friends.   

 _Were Armin and Mikasa like that when we first started?_  Eren wondered as he watched his faintly flushed humans making the way through the maze of exhausted bodies. 

Well he remembered Armin being like that at first but not to _this_ extent. Eren was probably a lot easier on his friends at first though, no matter what the two would probably say to that. 

As it was they looked a bit tired, sitting down on a free bench, stretching out their legs, probably glad to be able to rest. 

Eren didn't feel tired at all. He could still feel the tickle of the burning sun on his skin, filling him with energy, making it oh so  _very_  hard to hold back from outstripping them all. But he just about managed it, staying level with the falsely smiling blond and those other unknown unfit humans. 

He skirted away from what was left of that small group as a pale boy brought his hand up to his mouth again as if he was going to be sick. Not that he could with what Eren knew for a _fact_ was a recently emptied stomach. 

He vaguely wondered how they all managed to get past medical after having so much difficulty with such a short run. 

He had seen some of those least fit humans that he ran with climbing into one of the caravans earlier, much to his confusion. _Where were they going? Are they going to medical again to get better?_

Those humans who were left were bent over now, tucked away in a corner, breathing harshly. Except for the blond one- Krista he believed her name was- who was staring out of a window, face heavily flushed and showing a worried expression. 

"Poor girl, she's still got a lot of running to do,"

"Crazy girl more like," yawned Connie, stretching his arms out wide as he walked past. 

Eren made to sit in the empty space next to Armin on the bench but found himself drawing back, hands clenched as that smell from earlier came back, stronger this time. 

It smelt like...

"Eren? Are you okay?" Mikasa asked, suddenly standing before him with a serious expression of concern on her face. 

Eren blinked as he refocused his eyes on his friend, giving her a shaky grin. 

"I am oh kay. I must be tired," he reasoned out loud. But he really wasn't tired, the sun was setting but he still couldn't keep still with all the energy coursing through his body. 

He used to think it strange that he could stay up so late teaching Mikasa and Armin in the evenings after his work on the fields, whereas in the forest or on the dark and raining days he had difficulty staying up two hours beyond dark. 

It didn't matter to the other Titans how much sun they got. When the sun went down they went down, well most of them did anyway. By now he was used to staying up later and was pretty certain he wouldn't be able to sleep for a good long time. 

His musings was interrupted however by a sudden wave of cheers running through the barrack. 

"C'mon Eren, its dinner time," Connie laughed as Eren looked around in confusion. 

Dinner turned out to be slightly different from what Eren was used to seeing. There, at first, seemed to be no meat which pleased him to no end. Instead there was soupy wet rice, a few leafy boiled vegetables of some sort and a strange brown slop. 

He shuffled his fork through the mixture, pausing when he came across several strange lumps. 

"What is this?" 

"The finest of mystery meat stew," snarked the black haired woman Eren now knew to be called Ymir. 

Eren dropped his fork and stared down at his food. Meat? They actually hid the meat in the food?

He looked at the large white mash of rice and over boiled greenery. 

"This do not have meat in, yes?" he asked, pointing at them. 

Yamir frowned at him while Armin shook his head. 

" _These_  don't have meat in," he corrected in his answer. 

Eren nodded and started to faintly nibble on the rice. There were far too many humans looking at him to get away with anything else. 

Eventually those around him seemed to get bored of sharing strange looks over the top of his head and went back to talking, giving Eren the chance to quickly scrape his meat gloop onto Armin's plate, ignoring the look this got him. 

Soon the idle conversation turned to where everyone was from. 

"I'm from Jinae, on the south side of Wall Rose," smiled Marco between mouthfuls of his brown slush. 

"Oh I live near there. I'm from Ragako Village, but you probably heard that earlier," sighed Connie, rubbing the sides of his head at the memory of his earlier embarrassment with the Drill sergeant. 

"Where are you guys from?" 

Eren looked up from his rice soup to see Connie, Yamir, Krista and Marco looking at them with open curiosity. 

For a moment Eren didn't know how to answer. 

Where was he from? What human word could possibly give a name to the hundred foot waterfalls, great red trees and low rolling hills of his home? How could he put a name to those warm summer breezes through the leafy canopies? The chatter and song of the many birds that shared his place there? The clear turquoise pools of water steaming in the night air and the cold crunching snow of winter?

Then he remembered again. His home wasn't within their world. He was from beyond the wall. He wasn't to tell them any of that... he **couldn't**...

In the end he didn't need to. 

"We're from Shiganshina," said Mikasa, not looking up from her food. 

There were faint 'clink' and 'clop' noises as forks were dropped onto the table and into food. 

"You were in Shiganshina?" Asked a voice from behind them all in surprise. 

Eren turned to look around, and felt his eyebrows raise in surprise as his nose took in that pleasant scent from earlier. 

A blond muscular man and a tall slightly lanky man stood behind them, examining the trio with interest. 

"Ah my name's Reiner and this is Berolt," introduced the stockier blond man with a wave of his hand before taking a nearby seat. 

Eren stared blankly at them for a moment then nodded to them, trying to keep Mikasa's warnings about smelling people in mind. 

"My name is Eren Yager. This is Mikasa and Armin. We all co- came from Shig-an-shea."

Reiner nodded, meeting Eren's eyes for a drawn out moment before scratching his nose and giving a strangely sympathetic half smile. 

"That means you were there that day, weren't you? H-Hey! Did you see the Colossal Titan?!" Asked Connie, drawing Eren's attention back across the table. 

"Uh a big skinless Titan," Eren said, with a questioning look at Armin.  _Colossal was that thing's name right?_

"Y-yeah I saw it too," said Armin sending Eren an odd, quiet look. 

"Really? How big is it?" asked Krista. 

"I- it was tall enough to look over the wall," Armin muttered. 

Eren looked down at his hands, blood flooding to his face as he recalled his failure. 

_If I hadn't hesitated, if I had been just a bit faster-_

"What about the other two Titans? Did you see them?" Another cadet interrupted his thoughts, joining their conversation with several others. 

Eren felt his body freeze. _Two?_

"What did the Armored, and the berserker Titan look like?"

Eren looked at Mikasa who was staring blankly down at her food, then Armin who was looking at him. 

"Me and Mikasa saw the Armoured Titan, it was a fifteen meter I think. I couldn't see it very clearly, it was moving too fast. We didn't see the berserker though."

"I heard it only killed Titans," said Krista with a conspiratorial whisper. 

"It didn't go for humans? That's weird," muttered Bertolt. 

"I heard it killed twenty Titans in one go, **and** pulled someone out of one of their throats," exclaimed Connie excitedly. 

"Twenty Titans? That can't be true. The throat thing is shit too. You're making this up," Yamir snorted. 

"I'm not! I heard it from the garrison!" Connie quickly retorted with a red flush to his face. 

Eren felt his own face pale as he looked down at his hands again. 

"One of the garrison told a friend of mine." Connie corrected, calming himself as he spoke to them all. "Anyway it's true! It was also supposed to have had like these wicked fangs and went totally mad, ripping up its own kind real gory like,"

_It's okay they cannot tell. It's okay I don't look like a Titan anymore. I don't even smell like one with Armin's perfume. They cannot tell. They cannot tell..._

He couldn't even smell himself, his nose much worse than usual with the incredibly floral smell on him, scents came in much more muted and hard to place. 

It was probably why it took him so long to locate those scents from earlier. 

"I heard it breathed fire," muttered someone. 

"Did you see it Eren?" Asked Bertolt suddenly. 

Eren hesitated, which was an answer in itself as Mikasa and Armin's heads snapped round to look at him in surprise. 

"Woah Eren, what was it really like? Was it really 30 metres high?" 

Eren was silent, staring down at his hands again. 

"I- it was not that large. It attack-d its own, did look angry."

There was another flurry of questions and Eren looked up from his hands, eyes calm and focused on each and every human until the questions stopped and faded into an anticipating silence. 

"It die," Eren finally said in a firm voice "saw it die, it collapsed and cut the neck."

"...Shame that, if it's true it attacked its own it could have been used as a weapon," said Reiner in a pondering tone. 

"What like a guard dog? It was a fucking Titan, we kill them not make them pets," came a new voice.  

Eren looked around with a frown as a new participant to their conversation joined them.

"Good thing that it died, now they can just focus on finding those other two bastards," said a teenaged boy with dirty blond hair and an arrogant expression on his long face. 

He recognised this one from earlier. Lea- Jean? Yes Jean who wanted to be in the military far away from the Titans. 

" _They_?  _They_  not  _we_?" asked Eren with a faint irritable feeling bubbling in his stomach. 

The dirty blond gave him a disdainful expression. 

"Yes, they. I'm going into the Royal Military as soon as I get out of this crappy place," 

"Why train if you do not go fight Titans? You save no one like that, save no humans," Eren asked of him, lips spread tight across his teeth as the corners of his mouth twisted down. 

"Are you serious? You one of those idiots who think they can 'save humanity?'" he snarked at Eren, haughty frown firm on his brow.

Eren's fork bent slightly in his grip as he stood up to stand eye to eye with the man. 

"Yes."

Jean looked slightly wrong footed by this short answer but quickly recovered, snorting a mumbled comment about simpletons and idiots. 

Eren felt a snarl echoing through his chest and made to take a step forwards but instead found soft hands taking his and leading him away, putting the stupid brick-head and the stupid questions behind him. 

Armin sighed as he pulled Eren outside. 

"Cool it Eren," he muttered. 

Eren scowled at him. 

"I not-  _I am_  not idiot or simple," he snarled out, looking down at his fists. 

Armin looked at him in surprise. 

"Of course you're not Eren," he said before hesitating, chewing on his lip faintly causing Eren to look at him curiously. "Eren you- you never mentioned anything about the Berserker titan before... uh did something happen?" 

Eren looked away, then back at Armin with a small twitch of his jaw. 

"Saw it die," he simply said, with a nonchalant shrug. 

"Did... Did you kill it?" Armin whispered, looking around as Mikasa joined them.

"What? No," said Eren staring at him with sheer surprise at the strange notion. 

"C'mon you two," muttered Mikasa, taking their hands and pulling them away from the hall. 

"Eren, we'd better cut your hair for tomorrow. I think they'll tell you off when we're working with the belts," Mikasa stated, changing the topic to Eren's sighing relief. 

"You are telling me?" Eren smiled, gently tugging on her long hair. "You needs hair cut too,"

Mikasa nodded mutely, running her hand through her hair. 

Not far behind them Eren heard Connie shouting out in disgust at something and the low angry rumble of Jean, but he ignored it, instead pulling Armin and Mikasa in tight with his arms over their shoulders.  

His lips tugged up in a small smile as he thought about the next day and his chance to wipe the floor with that guy. 

 

* * *

 

"What are you doing, Jaeger?! Straighten yourself up!" Shadis screamed as Eren fell backwards this time, almost cracking his head on the ground.  

Eren felt his whole body flush as he flipped himself back up and ended up pushing himself almost too far forward .  

 _What the-?! Why does this feel so different?_  He thought desperately, trying to keep himself steady.  

He could feel the confused stares of Armin and Mikasa, who were predictably both able to use the gear immediately and with no effort. 

Why? Why couldn't he do this?! What was wrong with this gear?

He heard the snort of Jean not far away and glowered in that direction, distracted from his current predicament for a moment with the sudden surge of annoyance. 

"That's much fucking better Jaeger!" Shouted out Shadis. 

Eren looked round in surprise as he noticed he was still upright. 

He blinked then blinked again in his surprise. He wasn't even trying to stay up right now, he was just holding still...

Maybe the belts in training were different somehow... Much more sensitive- no that wasn't it... 

Testing it lightly Eren leant forwards ever so slightly and found his movement stiffer and much much less fluid than his previous belt. He didn't need to put more effort into counter-acting the backwards and forwards pull of the belt which meant that by doing so before he had been throwing himself all over the place. He just needed to lean in just  **one**  direction to move that way... 

Huh. Odd that. Good in that it was much simpler to use but it made his movement much more simple and restrained. He started to doubt he could pull off some of his favourite moves like this. 

"Alright Jaeger! You've passed, barely. Now get down and go do a hundred crunches. You need to tone up that blubber you call a belly," shouted out Shadis, distracting Eren from his thoughts.  

"Yes sir," said Eren, deftly releasing himself before the assistants could reach him, much to their surprise. Shadis cocked his brow at this but moved on to shout at the other cadets. 

"I'll tell you how to do a crunch," muttered Mikasa in a quiet voice as Eren sent her a quick helpless look. "Just keep doing them till I tell you to stop,"

Eren smiled at his kind friend as she quickly and quietly explained to him what to do. 

Once confident in his ability to do this, she turned back to watch the others. Eren then slowed in his movement, pulling in quick loud breaths like he had seen the runners from yesterday do. 

"Pick up the slack Jaeger! I said a hundred crunches! What do you not understand about that?!" Shouted Shadis as he looked his way. "After this, you're running the field until I tell you to stop!"

The bald man looked away, shaking his head as the crowd of recruits tittered at Eren's embarrassment. 

Except Eren wasn't embarrassed. Yes he felt a bit upset at that man's shouting but he was also pleased. 

If he carried on like this there was no way he would be put in the top ten. No way he would be made to join the Military police. 

He continued his crunches until Mikasa told him to stop with a strange look on her face. 

He felt a faint tingle in his stomach when he stood, similar to when he used his gear, but it soon faded as he started to run. 

There were several others doing the same as him but they seemed to be drenched in sweat and stumbling along in a half jog, half run. 

Eren did his best to imitate them, occasionally picking up his speed along with the others when a shout echoed over the dry, earthy expanse. 

A light wind brushed through his short hair. It was actually much more practical having hair that didn't fall into his eyes all the time. 

He briefly pondered whether his larger body's hair would change too, he wondered when he would get a chance to find out. It had been two years already since he last took that form and training was going to make the wait even longer... 

He didn't exactly miss his larger form but sometimes he still felt  **less**  somehow, like he was missing an arm or a leg. 

"Fall in!" came the command from across the field, jolting Eren from his thoughts. 

Eren jogged towards the voice with a spiel of over the top panting, as the others behind him half ran/ half walked along in their best attempts to be fast. 

"Well done to those who passed. Those who did not will get  _one_  more chance tomorrow. If you fail, you're out.  Everyone now will go get a pack each from the depo and come back here in one hour. We're turning you idiots into pack mules today. If you're late you'll be on laps until evening. Hell we’ll probably need to train day, evening _and_ night to get you sorry lot into shape. Dismissed!"

Eren smiled, quickly following these orders and pushing all thoughts of his past out of his head as he followed the other's trainee soldiers. 

He wasn't the hunter here. He wasn't a titan here. He was Eren, a cadet, a soldier.

He kept trying to tell himself that. 


	11. A life in the Army

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Hope you are all having a lovely run up to Halloween. I know I am, made toffee apples with my housemates the other day which unfortunately turned into fudge apples instead (still quite yummy though).
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I just want to give another thanks to my beta, Francesca, who has still stuck with me even though I am appalling at replying to messages and has given me really good advice on my stories. Thanks :)
> 
> x

* * *

"Go! Go! Move it!"

"Don't let your bag down! What don't you understand about that!? You brought it, you carry it!"

"Pick that bag up! Pick. That. Bag. Up!"

"You're all going to be carrying weapons. I don't know if I'd trust you with a bloody butter knife!"

"Is your ass jealous of the amount of shit you just said?" 

"I bet your brain feels as good as new, seeing as you never FUCKING USE IT!"

Over the next few weeks Eren heard every insult he could have imagined coming out of the Drill Sergeant's mouth and then some. 

They walked, jogged and ran; climbed up ropes and over slippery wooden ramps; carried heavy equipment and weighted bags; and listened to insult after insult as the shattered recruits were slowly moulded into soldiers. 

They were running through the forest that morning. Armin and Mikasa were way at the front and Eren, yet again, was close to the back. 

"Pick up the pace you lead-heeled laggards!"

In front of him Marco half stumbled over his feet as he struggled to pull his bag tighter into his body. Behind him Christa tripped over a root, only to be hauled up by Ymir right behind her. 

"This is no time for a nap you little shit bags. You are starting to piss me off! Get off your asses and move!"

Eren frowned heavily at the jarring angry voices around him. Was there really such a need to yell like that? Why couldn't they just run and enjoy themselves?

"Jæger! Pick up the pace!" Shadis shouted, before spurring his horse forwards and moving onto someone else. 

The slight weight on Eren's back suddenly lifted as Reiner pulled off his bag and swung it onto his shoulder. 

"I am fine, Reiner," Eren told him, pulling the bag back off the surprised cadet. 

"You don't seem that out of breath Eren," he stated with a light pant. 

"Why I be out of breath?" Eren asked with a smile. 

Reiner chuckled faintly between each heavy breath, irritably scratching his nose as they ran together. 

"Reiner! Get your arse back to the front! Right now you're only being useful as Titan bait!" Yelled Shadis, pulling back his horse to the back. 

It was odd but Eren had noticed Drill sergeant Shadis had stopped yelling at him so much in the last few weeks. Perhaps he realised that Eren didn't really find him that intimidating, maybe he finally got used to Eren's slow pace. 

Eren wasn't sure. All that he did know was that he needed to keep pace with most of the trainees, just in front of those in the back. 

He noticed that those who were _right_ at the back of each activity were the ones who most often would later disappear, sneaking off into the caravans in the evenings and never coming back. 

Armin said they were going to the fields to farm food for the military. 

 _But why come here if you want to do that?_  He didn't get it. Eren didn't want to do farming anymore. 

In the end, between the back and the middle seemed a good place to stay. It also stopped Shadis from saying particularly nasty about him. Mikasa tended to get very irritable when that happened. 

But this was only in the physical side of his training. The other parts were much more difficult for him to figure out, at least at first. 

There were many tasks they had to do, like cooking food and cleaning the sleeping barracks, toilets and halls. Eren wasn't very good at these things. He had never done any of that stuff before; he never needed too. 

He didn't eat (if he could help it) and Armin did most of the cooking back in Trost. Cleaning seemed like a waste of time back there too; there was no getting away from dirt no matter what you did. 

Eren didn't really get why things had to be clean. Subsequently when he was told to clean the toilets he was completely stumped about what to do. In the end he chucked some water around and dragged his cloth over a few surfaces and hoped for the best. It obviously wasn't good enough by the shouting he received by one of the instructors an hour later. 

The less said about his cooking the better. Needless to say the other recruits quickly worked out a system where Eren was never given the duty again. 

It wasn't just the jobs that were difficult though. There was some odd thing they had to do each day where they had to spend up to five hours sat on small wooden benches listening to some wrinkled man speak nonsense and draw pictures on a black piece of rock. Armin called it "lessons". 

Eren just didn't understand why they had to do lessons, what did it have to do with fighting Titans?

According to Armin it had a lot. 

Every evening now Armin would hurriedly go over his notes with Eren, trying to explain the lessons in a way that he could understand. 

The letters were vaguely familiar and Eren felt quite proud of himself when he read out ‘run’ to a very surprised Armin.

Eren however did not feel quite so clever a month later as Armin leaned over his shoulder watching him try to read these symbols. 

"Geh- eh- ah- err," he murmured aloud, trying to keep his voice low as the other recruits swarmed around them on their way out of the canteen and back to the barracks. 

"It's gear, see the g makes a ‘guh’ sound and the e and the a? Together they make an 'ee' sound,"

Eren looked up incredulously from the book to Armin. He had just spent the last month trying to memorise all the big and small scribble shapes properly with Armin and Mikasa, only to find that they didn't even make the same sounds?

There was a solid thump as Eren shut the heavy book, pushed up and away from the table and picked up his equipment bag. 

"Eren where are you going?"

"I are- am going flying," Eren muttered stopping as he caught Armin's worried expression. "Do not worry. It is dark. They will not see. They not- will not put me in high,"

Armin frowned as he tried to work out what he said and Eren took his chance to quickly escape out of the canteen door. 

He ran and ran, galloping across the fields as he made his way to the woods, before quickly taking out and putting on his gear.

As he took flight, as he was pulled up from the earth, it felt as if his worries were washed away from his body by the cool rush of air against it. His ridged, tense frame melted as he fluidly swung around the tree and pulled himself up through the tight, narrow gaps between the branches and trunks. 

His feet, now bare and released from their confines, didn't touch ground nor tree for more than a split second for hours as he jumped up to higher heights and leaned back into the free fall. Flipping and spinning in the quick momentum. He breathed in deep, easy and happy in the star-kissed darkness. 

It had been a hot day, sun hammering down on him from an open window as he tried- oh how he tried- to make sense of what the wrinkled old man was telling them but the energy had been brewing deep in his bones all day. He needed to run, to fly, to do  _something_. Perhaps that was why he had such difficulty concentrating with Armin as well. 

"Eren!" 

Eren stopped himself short, anchoring himself between two trees as he stared down in surprise. 

A sliver of moonlight caught the blond's head as he made his way through the trees and Eren gave a quiet woop, swinging around to crash into the earth before his friend. 

"Hey Armin!" He grinned toothily. 

Armin couldn't resist smiling back despite his surprise at his friend's sudden entrance. 

"I am to go back?" Eren asked, breathless grin fading as his earthly worries drifted back into his head. Armin's startled smile faded too and he found himself shaking his head. 

"...No, it's fine Eren. You look- I mean- I'd like another lesson, I'm starting to feel slightly rust- I mean- out of practice,"

And just like that Eren was grinning again, grabbing Armin's hand and pulling him deeper into the woods. 

"Great!! I still have not teached you falling,"

"Taught," Armin corrected with a renewed grin. 

 

* * *

 

 

Every so often, after that night, when everything became to irritating or Eren felt too tight in his own skin, Armin would take his hand when it got dark and go with him to the forest. 

Mikasa went too after the first few times. Eren felt guilty for forgetting to include her when he saw the flicker of hurt form on her face as she found out. He explained that she was doing so well during the day that he didn't think she even needed more lessons but with the look she gave him at this he quickly decided otherwise. 

He made sure she was included every time they went out after that. 

They had to keep it quiet though and not use too much gas as, both strictly and not-strictly speaking, they weren't allowed to use their gear unsupervised yet. 

Sometimes he just went running in the early evenings, simply enjoying the wind and the slow thud of his feet on the ground as he made his way around, only putting on his out-of-breath show when he could feel others eyes on him as they went back to the barracks to sleep. 

"- saw him out there. Did he annoy Drill sergeant Shadis again?" He heard Marco asking Armin when he got back one evening. 

"I don't think so," his sunflower returned with a frown, turning away from distantly watching this evening's arm wrestling match, just as Bertolt slammed down Ymir’s arm with a shy smile.

"That idiot is a deadloss, did you see him huffing and puffing out there? Don't know why he's not been carted off to the fields yet," Jean muttered, non-so-subtly checking around to make sure Mikasa wasn't in earshot. 

She wasn't, she was talking briefly with Bertolt and Ymir a little way off as they speedily started gathering their laundry for her. 

Armin, however, was very much in earshot and promptly turned to level a deep glare at the horsefaced man. 

It was about as effective as being glared at by a bunny. 

"He's not going to the fields Jean!"

"...Armin he does seem to be having a few problems with the physical side of all this," Marco chipped in with a slow careful tone. 

"Yeah, the other day I saw him collapse after only one run of the obstacle course," Connie butted in with an incredulous look as Sasha followed after him, arms full of gas canisters.  

"Eren! Uh hi!" Shouted out Sasha really obviously as she caught sight of Eren, hovering by the door. 

Connie flashed bright red as Eren approached them. 

"Hey Eren," he smiled guiltily. 

"Hey," Eren returned with a faint frown. 

"Eren, your shirt is filthy," came Mikasa's voice, suddenly behind everyone. 

All of them jumped, even Armin.  

 _How long has she been there?_  They wondered fearfully. 

"I did go through the object race again," he explained, picking at the shirt that he had to climb through the earth tunnels in. 

"Well give it to me and I'll take it to get washed," she said in a no-nonsense tone. 

Eren shrugged and stripped off his shirt, passing it over to Mikasa. 

There was a sudden clatter as the canisters in Sasha's arms tumbled to the ground. 

She didn't even try to pick them up. 

"You oh kay Sasha?" Eren asked her with a worried frown. 

Sasha didn't seem to be listening. Eren looked around with a confused look to see if the others had noticed Sasha's strange behaviour but it didn't look like they had. 

They all seemed to be staring at his stomach and chest with blank wide eyed expressions, all apart from Armin who was massaging his brow as if he had a headache and Mikasa who was looking at everyone with a small smug tug to her lips. 

Eren looked down, wondering if he got mud on him or something but no. 

"Armin?" He asked blankly. 

"Stop showing off and go get another shirt Eren," Armin told him with a twitch of his lips. Bemused, Eren left to do so, frowning as Jean turned around and started banging his head on a bed frame. 

"Sasha you're drooling," Mikasa scolded as he left. 

 

Strange behaviour of the other cadets aside, Eren was starting to have fun with all this training. He was getting better at this cleaning thing (although he was still banned from cooking) and with Armin's help he was starting to understand more and more of the words the wrinkled teacher was saying.  

But best of all he liked teaching Armin and Mikasa again, flying in quick formation with them and watching as they continued to get better day by day. Unfortunately they couldn't always stay up as late as Eren. They tended to get tired and prone to make mistakes the next day if they didn't get enough rest. So sometimes Eren would go out by himself, running and climbing and flying late into the night. 

It was on one such night, just under one year into their training that Eren made a mistake. 

He was seen. 

"E-Eren?!" came a female voice. 

Eren looked around sharply in surprise, before remembering he was in free-fall (as Armin called it) and needed to stop.

He swivelled his hips round and shot up his cables, slowing his decent down sharply to flip and push his left hand down against the rapidly approaching earth. He released his cables with his right hand and used his momentum to flip himself round to stand upright again before the intruder. 

Sasha stared at him with the widest eyes he had ever seen on her. 

"That. Was. Awesome!" She squealed. 

... _Shizer_. 

"Uh Sasha can you not speak to other about-" Eren waved his arm about himself then the trees. "-this?"

"Why not? That was amazing! You could get in the top ten if you did that in front of Shadis!" She raved, waving her arms excitedly, missing the pallid look on Eren's face. "How'd you get so good? Why've you been holding out on us?"

"I do not want be in top ten. Please do not tell any other. I will- I-" Eren stopped, the light of inspiration in his eyes, "I will give you my food, if you do not-"

"Yes! Yes! Okay I won't tell!" Sasha interrupted, jumping forward to grab Eren's hands with a glazed jittery grin on her face. 

Eren felt himself relax as he gently tried to pry his hands away from Sasha's vice like grip. 

It was only at that point that he suddenly noticed the strange wooden half hoop across Sasha's back. It looked slightly like a bent branch but with a sting connecting the ends. 

"What is it?" He asked, pointing at the thing on her back. 

"Oh! Well, you won't tell I suppose. I was going hunting," she grinned toothily, releasing Eren's hands to take the strange thing off her back. 

 _How does a stick and some string help you hunt?_  Eren wondered to himself curiously. 

Perhaps some of his confusion came across on his face as Sasha started to explain. 

"There really just isn't enough meat in that canteen! I wanted to shoot down a bird or two but I haven't seen any so far," she sighed very sadly at that and Eren found himself frowning. 

"There some owls tonight. High in branches. I take you up and you show me how use?" He suggested, smiling as he saw Sasha's eyes light up. 

His smile quickly spluttered and died as he realised the girl in front of him was starting to leak profusely from multiple orfaces. 

"Eren, I think this is the start of a brilliant friendship!" Sasha sobbed, grabbing Eren's hand again and enthusiastically pumping it up and down. 

Eren felt distinctly nervous. 


	12. The surprise visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!  
> Hope you've all been enjoying the Autumn and all the things (both fun and serious) that the season entails.  
> I've been enjoying it a lot myself, especially as I've just had my graduation. I am officially a graduate now and can think of no better way to celebrate than by giving you an update with... *wait for it*... ACTUAL Levi in it!  
> When I started this story I didn't realise I was going to be such a tease, hope you guys can continue to be patient with me. I think the pay off will be worth it :)
> 
> Hope you enjoy xx

Corporal Levi stared through the multitude of soldiers and trainees as they desperately scrambled out of his way, barging past each other as if they were trying to outrun a horde of fucking Titans. 

He was  _not_  in a bad mood.

 _Really_ he wasn't. 

He had no fucking clue why everyone around him seemed to think he was. 

"Corporal Levi, Sir!" One of the braver brats barked out, clipping his shoes together as he stretched his back out and puffed out his chest in the military salute. 

Levi tried not to curl his lip in disgust as he noticed the faint soup stains on the cuffs of his shirt. 

Obviously his attempt did not work as the cadet seemed only to grow more and more nervous in the long silence, sweat beading on his tanned brow.

Levi felt the faint whispers of the soldiers around them, now at what they felt was a safe distance as they watched the scene before them with macabre interest. 

"Tch... let's get this over with," Levi muttered, waving at the ridiculously tall boy to lead on. 

As they walked through the camp Levi observed the new cadets freeze and watch their progress. 

Fuck he didn't want to be doing this shitty inspection. He didn't want to be here full stop. He wanted to be back at the headquarters, training his squad or continuing with the project. 

The bloody project which was probably why he was out at this training camp right now.

Damn Erwin and his 'concerns'. He wasn't obsessed, thank you ever so fucking much. If anyone should be sent out for fresh air it should be shitty glasses. They hadn't  **once**  stopped looking at those bizarre samples they preserved (hell knows when Hanji even had the time to do that.) He swore they even slept with the damn things.

Hanji hadn't left that bloody lab of theirs to do anything but eat for more than a year now. Not even to bathe! 

In the end Levi couldn't take it anymore and threw two buckets of soapy water over their head hoping it would reduce the shit stink. 

All it got him was trouble in the form of an irritable, big-eyebrowed commander. 

So here he was, touring the training grounds and watching snot nosed children jump off of trees. 

Levi  _wasn't_  in a bad mood. He was in a fucking awful mood. 

"Ah Corporal Levi," greeted Instructor Shadis as Levi entered one of the crude buildings to see a hollow looking man nod carefully at him. 

Levi's surprise at Shadis's appearance didn't visibly register on his face. He kept his eyes cool and calculating as they swept over the man's ragged frame. 

"Shadis," he returned with an unperceivable nod, eyes now turning to his petrified escort who seemed to be sweating buckets now. 

"What kid? You wanna go shit? Don't need my permission," he drawled, waving his hand at the dark haired brat who seemed to melt in relief at the unusual dismissal. 

"Interesting escort," Levi said as they both watched him try not to run as he left. 

Shadis didn't comment on this, instead walking through an open door to what appeared to be his office and taking a seat. 

"Tea?" He asked Levi, offering a cup and teapot. 

Levi looked at the cup blankly, there was a small brown stain on the inside of the lip. 

"No thanks," he returned, taking a seat to meet the man's shadowed eye. 

This moment was probably the only reason he had finally given in to do all that bloody inspecting. The moment when he could talk with the man he hadn't been able to meet all those years ago; the man who had seen his Titan first hand. 

Shitty glasses saw it too but there was only so many times he could put up with their over the top speals about how muscular and well designed the Titan's body was. 

There was a certain advantage to listening to a different perspective, mainly in that Shadis was less likely to make him want to hose him down with icy water. 

"I take it you aren't here just to see the new recruits and 'inspire them,'" Shadis commented mildly, shuffling a stack of paper as he subtly eyeballed the man in front of him. 

"Inspired and inspected as I walked by," Levi returned, not once taking his eyes away from Shadis. 

Shadis sighed, shaking his head as he stood up. 

"I believe you may like to hear my commentary on them too. We'll talk as we walk," 

Levi complied with a light shrug following the bald man out of the building and onto the training grounds. 

"How many trainee squads do you have here?" Levi asked as the older man fell in step with him. It was best to get all the inspection crap out of the way as soon as possible. 

"Three currently."

"Hmm... What's the dropout rate?" 

"The usual,"

Levi nodded, understanding the unspoken implication. 

"It's a good turnout for Squad 103 with several very promising recruits. You can see most of them over there on the field; they are starting their hand-to-hand combat training today," Shadis told him, waving his hand over towards the training field. 

Levi squinted, watching at the cadets taking up fighting stances against each other under the instructor's observation. 

They seemed to be doing alright, a small number seemed to be goofing off in the back but we're quickly put in place by the instructor. Many were moving quickly and efficiently. All apart from one, a scruffy haired teenager who had frozen in place and was looking right at them.

It was too far a distance to see his face but Levi could still feel his shocked gaze. The boy's whole frame seemed to radiate surprise. 

The cadet's gaze was broken however as his opponent made use of his distraction to brutally drive him into the ground. To top off this spectacle the instructor then started shouting at him. 

Levi raised his eyebrows and turned to Shadis who, by the look on his face, probably would have put his head in his hands if he wasn't in the company of 'Humanity's Strongest'. 

"They  _are_  all capable and well suited to future carers, either in the Garrison or Scouts. I have already gained a good idea of who most of the top ten are,"

Levi hummed faintly before turning away from the display and continuing back into the camp. 

Again Shadis fell into step with him, by his side. 

"…May I be short with you Levi?"

Levi looked at the man out the corner of his eye. There wasn't any smirk or hidden laughter in his expression. 

Levi seemingly let the comment pass. 

"By all means,"

"Why are you really here?"

They walked in silence for a few minutes, watching as the number of cadets seemed to dwindle as each step took them closer to the officer barracks.    

"...You remember a certain trip out beyond wall Maria, a few days before the fall," Levi spoke eventually in a soft voice. 

"...I do..."

"I'd like your view on what you... encountered there, in private if possible," 

Shadis stared vacantly into the distance for a long moment. Slowly he nodded, leading Levi back towards his office. 

 

* * *

 

Eren looked blankly around him, fiddling with the fake dagger in his hands, as everyone around him paired up. 

Armin and Mikasa were already working together, taking strange stances as they faced each other. 

A pleasant smell reached Eren's nose and he turned to smile as Reiner came up to him with a shy grin. 

"Want to be my partner?"

Eren nodded hesitantly, holding the knife loosely in his hands, not taking the stance as Reiner stood before him.  

"What's the matter?" Reiner asked concernedly. 

"I do not understand why everyone is training like this. This is for humans, not the real enemy," Eren murmured. It would probably be good for him to refresh himself on fighting but he couldn't like or comprehend the idea of the others using their training on humans. 

"There are times when humans can be the enemy," Reiner returned with a faint shake of his head and a chiding tone. "We're soldiers, we need to be prepared for any situation. There are times we can't run away, no matter how bad things are. I believe that's the responsibility of a strong soldier... Not that there's  **many**  of those around here, for example look there."

"Oh, that is Annie," Eren said as he looked at where Reiner was pointing, wondering where Reiner was going with this. 

Sure enough Annie was standing off to the side, watching disinterestedly as the people around her paired off and fought, occasionally throwing the odd glance to where Armin and Mikasa were fighting. "She is uh- skip again."

"That so? That slouch needs a talking-to then. Let's teach her how a soldier's supposed to act," Reiner smirked before leading a hesitant Eren over to her. 

"Not fond of the commandant's head-butts? If you don't wanna end up any shorter, think back to when you first came here and start taking things seriously," the blond, mountain of a man talked down to her in a laughing tone. 

"Why you being rude?" Eren whispered out of the corner of his mouth, feeling a cool prickle in his stomach as he saw the shadowed look sweeping over Annie's face.

 _I thought she looked scary enough as it is but that's nothing compared to when she's angry,_  he thought to himself somewhat nervously. 

"All right! Get started Eren!" Reiner clapped Eren on the back, pushing him forwards. 

"What, me?!" Eren choked out. No he couldn't fight a human. What if he hurt her? 

"You know the drill, right, Annie?" Reiner said before Eren could voice any of his oppositions to this terrible idea. 

Time seemed to slow as Eren saw Annie approach. He hesitated in his defence, scared of putting too much force into his hit. 

In this spit second of hesitation Annie had moved to his right, slamming her right palm up at his chin, kicking back with her right leg into the small of his knee and smashing him to the ground with an echoing crack. 

Eren was down in three seconds flat. 

"T-that was amazing!" He exclaimed excitedly, eyes wide and glued to the blond woman above him. 

Annie seemed faintly taken aback by his quick recovery and the sheer enthusiasm in his tone as he scrambled up to face her again. 

"Can- Can I go now?" Annie said, her frown overtaking her face again as she looked away from Eren's impressed gaze. 

"No! The drill's not over until you take the dagger!" Reiner stated, looking amused by the turn of events. 

Annie sighed and faced Eren, shooting forwards to grab the dagger only for her hand to close around air as Eren quickly jumped back. 

Annie's frown deepened as Eren smiled at her, waiting for her to approach again. Which she did, spinning low to the ground with her leg arching through where Eren stood- where Eren _had_  stood. 

Eren had jumped back again, staring avidly at Annie's quick movements. 

Annie's expression was swiftly set in dark, deep irritation as she attacked in earnest, slamming her elbows into thin air and jumping high to kick his chin only to land hard in the dirt. She attacked a variety of different ways but Eren just kept on jumping, spinning and dodging out of the way. 

To anyone but Eren it seemed that he wasn't confident in his own attacks as he didn't once raise his arms for anything but his movement and defence.

Annie, on noticing this, drew back, waiting for his next move so she could take advantage of the openings in his poor attack. 

Then suddenly that strangely happy smile on his face froze and faded, his head snapping to the right, looking at something far away with wide, shocked eyes. 

Eren stood still, staring at the space in which the two men stood in the distance, breathing deeply as that fragment scent blew in from the camp. 

He had recognised it instantly and, for a moment, his whole body seemed to be consumed by his excitement and joy. 

His human was here. His human, Levi as they called him, was here!

Then the moment passed. 

 _He. Is. Here._..  _Shit_. 

Instantly the Titan in human form began to panic, mind flashing back to the cool expression on the man's face as he chased after him, as he hunted him down. 

_Has he found me? Does he know? He **couldn't** knowcouldhe? _

His panicked thoughts were abruptly cut off as his death grip on the wooden dagger was broken and his body was sent spinning in the air, slamming him back with such force that he could swear he felt a click in his spine. 

"Yeager! Pick your ass of the ground! Stop getting distracted!" Shouted the instructor as Eren briefly lay on the cracked earth, mind spinning as it tried to catch up with what the hell just happened to its body. 

Then Eren scrambled up, face red with embarrassment as he looked at the stoically triumphant Annie and the confused but amused Reiner, then briefly back at his Human and Shadis. 

They were leaving... 

_Huh? Th-then they don't know?_

Levi couldn't have realised that there was a Titan before him. If he had there was no way he wouldn't attack him. 

"You can be really fast when you want to, huh?" Commented Reiner as Annie turned and left, looking back at Eren once before shaking her head irritably and continuing to stalk back to where she had been before, frowning anew when she saw Armin and Mikasa were still fighting each other. 

Eren didn't notice any of this, head still full of his human, staring after the two retreating figures in the far distance. 

"Is that… _Corporal Levi_?" Reiner asked in curious disbelief, coming up to stand beside him. Eren nodded his head faintly. 

"Did you say Corporal Levi?" Asked Connie, distracted from his games with Sasha as he jogged up to squint at the two distant figures. 

"Humanities Strongest? Really? What's he doing here?" Sasha pondered in an admiring tone. 

"Humans strong-est?" Eren asked curiously, turning to stare at Sasha for a moment before looking back to see the figures disappear around the corner of a building. 

Eren felt his mouth turn down faintly before facing the cadets properly to listen to them. 

"You haven't heard of Humanity’s Strongest?! How?! But he's amazing! They say he's as mighty as an entire brigade!" Exclaimed Connie, throwing his hands up and down in the air in his excitement. 

"He is really the strongest human?" Eren asked, a faint smile blooming on his face. 

"Yeah! He has loads and loads of solo kills! Like a thousand or something!"

"I doubt he has quite that many," Reiner cut in gently but Connie wasn't listening. 

"Also he leads this wicked team he handpicked himself who are all these amazing badass soldiers!" Connie continued, eyes glazed with hero worship. 

Eren was grinning toothily. 

_My human is that strong and well known?_

It certainly seemed so. His human was all anyone could talk about for the rest of that day. 

"Did you know Corporal Levi once cut someone out of the belly of a Titan?"

"I heard he was trained by Commander Erwin himself!"

"He's got more solo kills under his belt than anyone else!"

His human was famous!

 _Rightfully so!_  He thought happily, remembering that glorious life changing day he first saw him, fighting against that gluttonous monstrosity with no hesitation and  _no_  fear. 

He smiled softly to himself from one of the roof tops, watching as his human walked away, his footsteps hard and angry against the ground. 

Eren frowned faintly; it looked like the short man wasn't happy about something. 

_Maybe he didn't get whatever he came here for..._

Humanity's strongest  **really**  didn't look happy at all when he stopped and twisted on his heal, looking about himself suspiciously. 

Quickly Eren ducked back behind the slope of the roof and listened intently until, after many minutes, he heard the faint squeak of earth as his human continued out of the camp. 

 _I may be a Titan but I really **did**  do something good by helping him_, he thought with a light bubbly feeling in his stomach, ducking back and dropping down the side of the building before anyone could spot him and tell him off again. 

_I hope I get to see him again one day._

 

* * *

 

 _Well that was a fucking waste of time,_  Levi growled to himself as he stomped out of the main building.

That man had little more to offer than Hanji. And that 'little' was mainly made up of far off stares and rough accounts of the reactions of his men. 

Shadis had no idea why his Titan decided to help them. 

 _Well at least he didn't spend the whole time talking with a river of drool gushing from his mouth like shitty glasses,_  he told himself.  _That would have been disturbing._

There was  **one**  piece of new information however that Levi had been  _vaguely_  interested in. 

**"We were distracted at first by difficulties in the terrain and by a strange report from one of the diversion task forces." Shadis spoke quietly, staring down at the drink of misty tea in between his hands. The tea was cold, not that Shadis noticed.**

**"Strange report?" Levi asked with a raised brow. Hanji never mentioned this.**

**_Probably didn't register as important enough to remember after the deviant,_ ** **Levi thought to himself sarcastically.**

**"Yes. An unidentified soldier saved the lives of all but one of the soldiers in that task force. He took down five Titans in the space of approximately two minutes using nonstandard gear to execute his solo kills."**

**Levi stared unblinkingly at the man for a long, drawn out moment.**

**"Five solo kills in two minutes with ...nonstandard gear," Levi repeated in a monotone.**

**"He wielded a spear instead of Titan killing blades," Shadis elaborated with a sigh, finally realising his tea was stone cold and putting it back on the table.**

**"I take it you didn't find out who he was," murmured Levi thoughtfully.**

**"No, most likely he was killed in the breach. We know he wasn't killed in the forest. One of the soldiers, Moses Blake, came to me after the day of the breach and gave me a description of a very peculiar 'corporal' he encountered that day."**

**Levi leaned back with a vaguely interested expression and nodded for the man to continue, which he did.**

**It was a very interesting story: a short, mute soldier who 'moved like a diving sparrow' and wielded a spear to achieve over eight solo kills during the fall (thirteen in total including those at the forest) who then managed to direct a large group of soldiers to draw Titan attention away from the evacuees.**

**Levi would have been demanding a lot more information on this soldier if it wasn't for the fact that the last time he was seen he was in the company of two soldiers who were later found to be dead.**

**It didn't seem likely that the soldier was still alive. Therefore Levi had no idea why he was still listening to this.**

**"He was also described to be wearing a bright red scarf an-"**

**"Did this Moses have anything more to add to the reports we got on the Titan?" Levi interrupted the man, ignoring the dark look this earned him.**

**Shadis was obviously used to reacting a certain way to rude behaviour of others in his camp.** **It almost made Levi smile to see him visibly restrain his irritation.**

**"No," Shadis said in a clipped tone.**

Levi sighed to himself as he came back into the present. The drill sergeant had been absolutely no help after that. 

 _Complete and utter waste of my time!_ He scowled as he started walking away. 

Then he stopped, ears prickling as they detected a faint scraping noise from above.

A familiar shivering chill traced down his spine. His foot froze mid step, perfectly balanced off of the ground, as his eyes sharply turned to look around him. 

Slowly, ever so slowly, he lowered his foot and twisted around, face impassive but eyes narrowed and flinty.  

Silence pooled around him, or it would have done if he hadn't been in an encampment of cadets, all suddenly making banging and clattering noises as loud as they fucking could. 

Levi's eyes roamed for a minute longer before he snorted and shook his head, turning to leave this useless shithole, back to the base to do some real work and hopefully find some  **real**  answers. 


	13. Graduation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!  
> Wow, I'm absolutely blown away by your fantastic comments, thank you all so much! Sorry that I'm so rubbish at updating. I've been going through a major writers block, along with lots of job stuff but that's no excuse.  
> There's a bit of a time skip in this chapter just to warn you, although it's quite easy to figure out :)
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy the latest chapter and that all of you who celebrate Thanksgiving had a great time x
> 
> (p.s. Look! The hit counter is over 10,000! That is just so odd to me and really cool at the same time. Thanks you guys for reading :) )

* * *

 

 

"Well done flowers!" Eren grinned as Mikasa and Armin joined him, leaning up against one of the stone walls of the drinking hall, with mugs of watery ale in their hands and huge grins on their faces (well on Armin's face really but Eren could tell Mikasa was grinning on the inside). 

"Thanks," said Mikasa as Armin sighed amusedly at Eren's nickname for them.

"You should have been up there too you know," Armin stated as several of the other graduates joined them; some coming to sit on the nearby benches. 

"Yeah, I can't believe the suicidal idiot didn't get in the top ten after slacking off for two and a half years," snarked Jean as he slouched on the bench with a tray of stew. Marco sent him a warning look as he took a place next to him. 

"They should have put you in when you started trying properly though, you're really good," Marco added with a sigh, ignoring Jean's mild glare. 

"It's fine, I don't mind," smiled Eren, ignoring the horsefaced irritant as he focused on Marco. 

"Can't believe you thought the Royal guard was compulsory for so long. You're such a moron," laughed Ymir. 

"Ymir! Be nice!" Christa chided with such a puppyish expression that it sent Ymir into a fit of giggles and sweet adulations.  

Eren stared at them both as they then smiled and started whispering to each other, scratching at his nose irritably, before turning back to Armin and Mikasa. 

They both seemed to be glaring at something Jean was saying. 

"-t that good really. Just threw in a few flips and acts a bit strong and everyone thinks he's the bees knees. The instructors definitely didn't think so,"

"He can do much more than a few flips!" Sasha snapped, yanking Jean's food tray away from him. "You never saw him training at night,"

"...Eren, what's this?" Mikasa asked in a quiet voice, her head slowly turning to fix Eren and Sasha a long look. 

"Oops," murmured Sasha, throwing Eren a guilty smile. 

Eren glared at her resignedly before sighing and coming clean. 

"Sasha was teaching me how to use bow and arrow and I helped her with few moves and hunting,"

"How longs this been going on?" 

Eren and Sasha looked at each other as Mikasa's voice sucked in the very warmth from the air. 

"Not long," they spoke in unison. 

"Hmm..."

"So you both know how to use a bow and arrow now?" Armin asked interestedly. 

"Sasha's still better than me," smiled Eren, gratefully latching onto the small change of topic. 

"Only 'cause I've been using it since I was five. You've got good at it like crazy fast, especially as you've only been practicing on and off for two-" Sasha cut herself off, looking at Mikasa with wide eyes "-months! Two months!"

"...Hmm..." 

Eren decided at this point to try and shut Sasha up, passing her his food so she'd be distracted by inhaling the brown slop instead of talking. 

"So what are you going to do now Eren?" asked Thomas curiously.

"He's going to the scouts, ' _Suicidal idiot_ ' remember?" Snarked Jean. 

Eren scowled at the horseman but nodded to Thomas anyway; as did Armin and Mikasa much to everyone's surprise. 

"You two are really going to turn your backs on the MP for the scouts?" Asked Thomas, turning to look at Mikasa and Armin incredulously. 

"Why in the world would you do that? You two are in the top ten," a man Eren vaguely remembered being called Nac, asked from the crowd that had started to gather. 

"The Scouts are what Eren wants to join," said Mikasa, as if it explained everything, which it did to everyone familiar with how close she was with Armin and Eren. 

"You two don't have to come," Eren muttered faintly but they ignored him. 

"Are you guys insane?!" Shouted Thomas suddenly, before falling quiet as he realised how loud he had just been. Icy silence seeped out through the hall and with it the good cheer slowly faded from the faces of the graduates. Hesitantly Thomas continued in a lower but still carrying voice. 

"...You know how many people have died because of those things? About a fifth of the population...you- you'd just be throwing your lives away. You can't beat them.  _We_  can't beat them..."

Eren looked around, eyes turning from person to person as their heads bowed under those words, before turning to Thomas and opening his mouth. 

"...You think so? If you think that way you believe it, lay yourself down like meat and not a human," Eren slowly spoke, voice echoing in the sudden silence as heated words tumbled out of trembling lips. "No, you are wrong. Somethings are different now. We have m- have more knowledge and we learned by mistakes. Others- all those others payed the price of this learning with their life. And you are just to let it be worthless? I won't...  _I won't_. I'm going out there to make things better for all, give back what was taken! We have the hope to beat them but only if we  **let**  ourselves have it. As long as there is _someone_  who keeps this thought, it  _can_  be done!"

Eren stared at all the humans who simply gazed back with slack jaws and wide eyes. Connie and Thomas stared openly with a faint flush on their cheeks. 

 _Can't they understand? How can I show I'm here to help them?_ Eren though despairingly to himself. 

Clicking his jaw in agitation he turned and quickly left, almost running as he waved off his friends as they tried to follow him. 

Armin pulled Mikasa back down onto a bench. 

"Give him a moment," he told her. 

Several cadets stared after Eren as he left with conflicted expressions. 

"...You three are really close aren't you?" Krista murmured, trying to break the sudden silence "Are you guys related?" 

"...No we're not," Mikasa stated blankly. 

"Uh, how'd you all meet then?" Sasha butted in with an overly cheery voice, obviously trying to help break the tension from the previous topic as well. 

Armin looked at Mikasa uncertainly, not quite certain of how to answer this. 

"...I met Mikasa when she came to live with Dr J- uh the local doctor," Armin started, taking Mikasa's hand and squeezing it in faint apology when he almost mentioned the man's name. 

Mikasa's lips thinned faintly but she nodded for Armin to go on. 

"I was waiting for some medicine for my g- grandmother... when I spotted Mikasa, hiding behind a curtain. Turns out I was the first to find her hiding spot. It was her long hair that gave her away," Armin paused to smile faintly, down at his hands. "She often liked to watch the patients come and go, seeing if they could see her or not. The next time I came over, after picking up the medicine, I asked if I could join her in her spying games," 

Mikasa smiled softly at the memory, causing several people on the table to choke on their drinks at what they perceived to be a rare and unfounded expression on her face. 

"Was Eren a patient or something then?" Connie, after he recovered from his coughing fit, asked.

Armin was shaking his head before he could think better of it. 

"How'd you find him then?" Sasha asked them between the mouthfuls of rice and stew she had started to inhale again. 

Mikasa and Armin shared a look but didn't say anything for a long time. 

"...He found us. On the day wall Maria fell," Armin eventually answered. 

Drinks and forks were lowered and several pairs of eyes snapped to the door where Eren had left. 

"What happened?" Krista whispered. 

"...When the wall was broken large parts of it were thrown into the city. One of these bits fell on the house I was living in... The roof fell in on me and I was trapped. It was- I- Armin and a garrison soldier we knew later found me and tried to help me out but by then one of the Titans found us," Mikasa spoke, her voice turning from hesitant to cool and factual as she told her story. 

Everyone had stopped eating and drinking, even Sasha, all simply staring as Mikasa looked up from her hands to look at Armin with a soft look in her eye. 

"Then Eren came,"

"He ran up and lifted up the roof from Mikasa so I could pull her out. Both me and Hanse tried to do this but couldn't. Eren made it look like the roof was made of feathers," Armin added with a smile. 

"What about the Titan?" Krista breathed. 

Armin and Mikasa hesitated again before continuing. 

"He- he shouted at it. Got its attention then lead it away so we could run," Armin lied.

"We found Eren later on, knocked out and covered in cuts and broken glass. Took him with us and we haven't been apart since," Mikasa added. 

There was a long silence.

"He outran a Titan on foot? How?" Thomas asked. 

"... He said he made it away by running in sharp movements. Titans are large so they need more room to turn. You can't keep still, always run unless you can hide your smell from them," Armin advised him.

Silence reined again and everyone looked back out at the door Eren had left through. 

"What about before the wall fell?" Marco asked. 

"...he won't talk about that," muttered Mikasa before pushing away from the wall and heading after Eren. 

Armin nodded faintly at everyone and hurried after his friend, leaving the hall full of stunned faces and wide eyes. 

 

* * *

 

Eren sat on the stone steps outside of the headquarters, looking out at the city of Trost winding down from his perch.  

Houses were lit up with the golden glow of candles and oil lamps. The faint smell of roasted meat weaved up the small hill of the more expensive buildings. 

It had been three years since he left this place, full of hope that he had finally found a way to escape the walls. Thinking that once he became a scout he could slip away and continue to drive out the Titan menace by himself, just like that. 

 _Hopeless_... He thought to himself,  _they think this is hopeless. They won't- they **can't**  fight like this... _

Could he just leave them as they were? He was planning on just going out there himself at the start, even leaving Mikasa and Armin when he got the chance... but...

Now the time came to it he found he didn't want to. He needed to go but he didn't want to leave any of them. His perfect flowers, the gluttonous but sweet Sasha, the kind and strong Reiner, the naive nervous Thomas, the silly but genuine Connie, the Horseface- well maybe not him- but- but-

But he liked these humans and he wanted to stay with them, however they still lacked hope. 

And that was a **big** problem. 

"Eren?" came a soft voice interrupting his painful muddle of thoughts.

Eren quickly ran his hands over his damp face and turned to face his friends, his flowers. 

"Hey," he greeted them with a faded smile. "Why are you here? You should be enjoying the celebrations,"

"Can't enjoy it without you," smiled Armin, taking a seat next to Eren on the steps. "Also after Thomas there wasn't so much 'celebrating' as moping."

Eren looked blankly down at his hands. 

"That- uh -was quite the speech," Armin spoke up again, giving Eren a knowing sideways glance. 

"...Did not make any changes. They are still going to use their skills to build walls and hide behind them."

"You don't know that," Mikasa told him "anyway remember it's not just you going out there to take everything back from them,"

"... I still do not want you out there," Eren muttered before turning to look at them both with wide eyes. 

"We could say the same to you Eren," Armin told him in a severe tone. "Don't you want people to put their training to use?"

"But you will get hurt..." Eren whispered slowly. 

"Eren, we got in the top ten. We  **will**  be fine," said Mikasa with a frown "besides where you go I go. You saved our lives, I'm  _going_  to return the favour,"

Armin nodded resolutely with the same words burning brightly in his eyes.  Eren sighed and ran his hands though his hair. 

"If... If you come you will not got hurt. I could not let you got hurt," Eren told them, knowing exactly what his humans would say if he continue to try and convince them. 

"Neither can you. We couldn't bare for you to get hurt..." Armin returned before shaking his head quickly "We're going. That's the end of it. Now come on, let's go see if Connie has left any ale for us. I'm sure you'll like it Eren," 

Eren smiled at his humans as they pulled him from his solitude with gentle hands and quiet smiles. 

He could stay with them a bit longer couldn't he? He could continue his little make believe game of being a human, right?

Eren looked down at his hands in theirs, unable to answer his own questions as his mind tore itself apart. 


	14. Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...uh hi guys *awkwardly waves*  
>  Um so I know it's been a long time since I updated and I've just got to say: I am SO sorry! Agh!  
> When I started this I was naively thinking 'oh I'll update it once a week, every two at the most' but I have fallen short of that promise to myself by a few thousand miles.  
> My plot is a bit fuddled: I seem to have two grand finales going on and I'm having trouble reworking them and still having the story make sense :( that's why I've been taking a brief break so I could come back to it with fresh eyes.
> 
> In the mean time I have polished up two chapters for this story, a fair few more for Sacrifice (yeah that one's not completely dead yet) and a whole new story (not for AOT but for something else) while taking this break, so I hope you all aren't too mad at me.
> 
> To be honest though, the community on A03 is so nice that I haven't heard one of you make single mean comment! I got a few nasty PMs on FF about my delays which just made me appreciate you guys all the more.
> 
> Thanks for being so lovely and patient and I hope you enjoy!

Levi scowled as the crowds parted before the procession.

Well, parted wasn't exactly the word for it. More like 'shoved out of the way' by the slow advance of horses and carts at the front.

Over the years since the breach, the scouts- the once deemed 'little' component of the military- had acquired _much_ more support. It was probably something to do with how many Titans they had taken down or perhaps how much was now expected of them with the dense fog of dread hanging over every citizen’s head

Levi both was and wasn't happy with this turnabout of support; it felt too false to him, like how a Titan would smile at its food before in leaned in for a bite.

However, this did all mean more funding and a slight increase in the number of recruits.

Very slight...

He clicked his tongue in agitation as he heard the teasing squeal to his right reach it's crescendo.

If it wasn't enough that there were all these carrion pickers around, he had to be sat next to shitty glasses too?

"Smile Levi!" They sang in their usual booming voice "you'll disappoint your fans!"

Levi pointedly frowned even more at this and turned his head away from the idiot.

"Jeeze you need to get laid Levi, that'll put a smile on your face," Hanji sighed to themselves, tapping at their chin thoughtfully.

"If you try to set me up with another of those 'fans' I'll rip you a new arsehole," Levi finally spoke up as they road past a group of squealing young women who were drooling at him like dogs looking at a slab of well cut meat.

"Nah I learned my lesson from last time, maybe I should try sending the male fans from now on," smirked Hanji before they suddenly found themselves being wrenched to the side by a tight grip on their head.

"Male or female, you do that again and I'll take a hose to your lab then stuff all of your equipment up your ass. Sharp side first," Levi stated, expression bland with boredom but voice entirely sincere.

"Ooh kinky," Hanji smiled back.

Levi let go of them in disgust, wiping the grease from their forehead onto their cloak.

"You've been warned," he murmured quietly.

Hanji nodded absentmindedly as they scanned over the crowds, seemingly looking for something.

Levi went back to ignoring them, staring blankly through the writhing mass of people on all sides.

Then his gaze caught on something odd. His eyes shuttered then opened fractionally wider as they focused in on a somewhat familiar gaze standing out from the crowd like the shine of gold in a river of filth.

It wasn't just the eyes that grabbed his attention though, at least not at first, bizarre colour and all. No, it was the smile that really got his attention; that weird, strange, utterly bizarre smile. 

It wasn't like the others around it, worshipful or smirking, simpering or false. Thin pale lips were spread achingly wide, faint laughing dimples in the corners, soft, unwavering and... proud?

Levi faltered. That couldn't be it... he had seen prideful smiles before and the distantly proud expressions of his 'fans' as Hanji called them, but that wasn't it. It was almost-

"Ooh what you looking at Levi?" came the dreaded annoying voice of Hanji. Levi turned around quickly to tell them to bugger off. By the time he turned back that smile had gone, melted into the crowd along with the vaguely familiar green-sky eyes.

Levi felt his frown deepen as he started to search for it once again before catching himself, realising what he was doing.

Shaking his head, Levi forced himself to focus back on steering his horse and blocking out shitty-glasses's unending commentary.

He firmly put the strange smiling boy out of his mind. There was a lot to do. No time to get distracted.

*

Breathing hard, Eren crouched behind Reiner as the procession moved on.

He knew he was getting a few odd looks from his friends but he couldn't find it in himself to care right at that moment.

No, what he really cared about was being carried away from him on the back of a horse.

"Eren? Why are you hiding behind me?" Asked Reiner out of the corner of his mouth, thankfully not moving around to look at Eren and draw that unrelenting grey gaze back to him.

Oh- when their eyes had met! Eren felt his whole body freeze, felt his wide grin aching on his face as he was petrified in the spotlight of that gaze. He felt like a rush of burning ice had sped up through his arms and legs, pinning every single inch of him in place. Everything but his eyes which slowly followed his human's gaze as he was carried onwards.

Before that moment he'd just been happy to see his human again. Simple joy had filled him in knowing he was okay, still saving humans and still had that grumpy look on his face that Eren had started to grow familiar with. It felt like a cool balm on his mind, easing the itching predictions and worried sores, giving pure and simple contentment as he watched his human from mere meters away.

It was the closest he had been to Levi in years.

But now- after meeting those unforgettable eyes- now he just felt ...odd... and scared- and not just for the fact that Levi was a skilled Titan killer (although Eren wasn't fooling himself about not still being terrified about that).

No he didn't know- didn't understand- why he felt scared. He just- he... The way his human had looked at him- it wasn't even that the man looked angry, he didn't. He looked...

Blank.

Eren shook his head sharply and carefully peered around Reiner's broad shoulders once again.

His human was facing away now, the back of his black undercut hair swaying faintly in the light wind and with each step of his horse.

"Eren? What's wrong?" Asked Mikasa in a quiet worried voice as she saw the expression forming on his face.

Eren blinked several times, coming back into himself as he turned to face his flower.

"No thing is wrong," he smiled weakly at her. "Just thinking of things,"

"What sort of things?" asked Reiner, eyes intent on Eren for a moment before flickering back to the last few stragglers of the Scout's procession.

"...strange things, sad and happy things, just many things," Eren mumbled, waving his hand around as if he could wave away his strange thoughts and the concerned looks he was getting.

"Eren-"

"People think different about Scouts now, yes?" Eren blurted out with a strangled smile.

"... Yes, it's nothing like it was five years ago," Reiner slowly nodded with a contemplating expression, choosing to indulge Eren’s abrupt and unsubtle change in topic. "People have much more hope now,"

...Hope.

Eren looked up at Reiner with wide eyes, false grin fading away. The man breathed out a smiling sigh and gruffly ruffled Eren's hair, much to the latter's bewilderment.

"Everyone has cheered up quite a bit now," smiled a ginger girl from close by (Hannah if Eren was remembering correctly.) "Especially since nothing's happened in all that time!"

"They've upgraded the mounted cannons too," the tall, skin-headed Franz smiled down at her as he joined them. "I doubt the Colossal Titan will show up any more,"

Eren frowned at this, turning away from Reiner who was also looking very irritable.

"You don't know when we could be attacked. It's never a good idea to get too confident you're safe," Reiner lectured them.

Eren looked back at Reiner with raised eyebrows before turning to the other two humans, frowning anew as he saw their hands clamped together, vice tight.

He took in a deep breath through his nose and stared at them suspiciously.

"Are you both mated?" He found himself asking curiously.

All three turned to look at him with varying levels of shock. So did several of the other cadets around them.

"Ah- he means 'are you mates' like friends," came Armin's voice hurriedly as he took Eren's arm and tugged him away.

Eren made to protest at this inaccurate correction but was quickly pulled away from the gently laughing couple and the contemplative Reiner.

"Eren, we can't- we don't ask people about their sex lives," Armin hissed to Eren once they were out of earshot from all but Mikasa who had doggedly followed them.

"...why? It is important part of being a mate to have children, I see it all the time with animals. I only want to know if they are baring, it is not good to fight like that,"

Armin's mouth opened and closed like a fish as he struggled to come up with a response to that.

"Humans are different to animals Eren, we don't have partners just for children," Mikasa cut into the silence somewhat awkwardly.

"Yes, also these things are really private for people, you can't just ask them," Armin added in pointedly.

"So they not," Eren pointed at his stomach and made a motion to show an invisible bulge.

Mikasa shook her head.

"So it is for something else, just like Yamir and Krista?"

Armin coughed on his own spit at this and started to splutter something out but Eren wasn't paying attention anymore. Instead he was nodding to himself vaguely as he looked back through the crowds to watch, from a distance, as Franz bent over Hannah and tapped her nose with his, smiling large and goofily.

Eren's hands tightened and he found himself looking away with a deep crease in his brow.

_"Didn't you already do it that time with the kissing?"_

_"I just told him to stop; I thought you were going into all of that,"_

Vaguely he heard his flowers whispering their hushed conversation but he ignored them, turning to look back at the couple. They were walking away now, hand in hand.

Eren looked down at his open palms.

His strange thoughts were cut short however as a new smell weaved through the crowds. He sharply snapped his head up, whole body registering surprise, as his nose detected that old but familiar scent.

"It is that man! Hands? Hange?" he told his humans in a questioning tone, interrupting their awkward conversation.

Sure enough, mere moments after his two friends looked round at the direction Eren pointed in, a tall blond man made his way round a corner and spotted them.

"Hey kids!" He called out with a grin, beaming as he saw Mikasa and Armin gape in surprise- well, Armin gaping in surprise.

"Mr. Hannes!" exclaimed Armin.

"Heard you graduated yesterday. In the top ten as well. Man, you brats have really grown up," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head as he took in the two ki- young adults.

His hand paused in this scratching as he considered Eren.

"...Nice to see you too son, I'm surprised you didn't get to the very top of your class," he said, eyes trained on the strange abnormality from all those years ago.

"...Mikasa and Armin belong there," Eren replied with a shrug, scratching at his arm as he looked away from Hannes's intense stare.

Hannes sighed loudly, lips twitching into a faintly bitter smile.

"Yeah they do, and it's thanks to you that they are... I'm sorry I wasn't much help back then kids,"

Mikasa and Armin nodded at Hannes much to his surprise and then smiled at their friend.

"You helped a lot still, got them out," Eren muttered. He had a lot of time to think about it and, well, he'd been a bit harsh on the guy. The man had been terrified but at least he tried, and he stuck around with his flowers afterwards to keep them safe. "You helped me too,"

Hannes smiled faintly at that and scratched his head.

"Oh yeah Jeager- I still have that weird spear of yours. Put it into my military storage to keep it safe but I think you should have it back."

Eren felt a tentative smile curl up his mouth after he recovered from the surprise. His old spear! Earth, how many years had it been since he held it?

"That's probably not a great idea right now," said Armin, cutting short Eren's smile. "You don't want to get in trouble for having non-standard gear."

"Well tell you what Jæger, you come pick it up another time. I don't mind holding onto it for now. Perhaps you can then tell me a few things about how you made it,"

Eren's face went through a rapid change of expressions as Hannes spoke; from annoyance at Armin, to relief, then interest and then, finally, to a mild look of worry.

"Hanse, I heard you're chief of the Corps of Engineers, well done," Mikasa spoke up suddenly, diverting Hannes's confused reaction to Eren's expressions to her with a soft smile on his lips.

"Thanks Mikasa... I uh- I've also been trying to find out some more about what happened to Grisha. Sorry I've had no luck so far."

"It's... fine. I'll be able to find out for myself now..."

Hannes raised his eyebrows at her casual tone. Mikasa used to follow Dr Grisha round like a lamb, always doing as he said and looking up to him like he was the king. But, as he watched Eren take her hand, he finally realised that maybe it hadn't been such a good thing.

Instead Mikasa seemed to follow this boy like a flower follows sunlight, growing and strengthening under his care.

...He just hoped that sunlight never went out.

"You take care of yourself," he told them all.

"We are not like before. We are better," Eren smiled at Mikasa and Armin before turning to face Hannes. "We will not let another day like that happen."

"...I don't know if I should be happy that you've grown up or not. Just don't go dyin', now."

Eren looked away, staring at the thinning crowd with a blank expression before turning back to Hannes.

"They won't," he promised.

Hannes offered a faint but sincere smile as they walked away, those two child- Young adults following their mysterious friend like he was their everything.

 _Which_ , he supposed, _to them he is._

Hannes stared after them, a faint frown at his brow.

_Please don't go and die on them Jeager._


	15. The world before and behind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy belayed Easter everybody! I only missed posting this by one day! (Been too busy eating chocolate and posting a new fanfic) 
> 
> I hope you guys all really enjoy this chapter, sorry if it's slightly shorter than the others but I wanted to get it out and work on the next part a little more before putting it out there.
> 
> I've got some more exciting news: I've created a new tumblr account today where I hope to post stuff on new chapters and also post about fanfiction recs for many different fandoms. Please check it out if either of those sound interesting to you guys at: curlyhairedone.tumblr.com
> 
> I hope you all enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

 

Eren stared out at the world beyond the wall. A harsh wind whipped at his sturdy frame as he stood tall and exposed to the elements.

Far behind where Eren stood, he could hear pigeons cooing from their sheltered nests and the faint cheerful chatter of the many people making their way from one place to the next, oblivious of the harsh weather above their heads.

...How long had he been waiting? How long had he been training? All of it, just so he could see what he was seeing before him right that moment.

Eren looked back out at the long stretch of land beyond the wall; it wasn’t the world he grew up in but it was the one he belonged to.

In the distance a feral dog howled.

...why was he hesitating? All he had to do was find a quiet part of the wall and jump. No one would see him, no one would know. Not that it would ma-

It mattered. It mattered **so much** _._

He couldn't let them see what he was. Know what an abomination he was.

 Okay so he would go at night, he was getting really good at staying up now. He would be able to make a good distance before-

Before his friends realised he was missing. Before they realised he seemingly abandoned them to their hopeless task of fighting the Titans.

_But I wouldn't be! I'd be helping them much more than I ever could like this!_

Eren blinked out at the horizon, urging himself to take that step forwards, to go out to where he would once again live alone, with only beasts and the dead for company. He willed his body to move.

It wouldn't.

"Ich will nicht gehen,"

"What was that?" Asked Armin curiously, coming up from behind.

Eren started and span around, much to Armin's bemusement.

"What were you thinking about Eren? Must be something big to distract you like that. I would have won another round of our game if we'd been playing," grinned Armin, coming up to stand by Eren's side as they looked out at what lay before them.

The distant howl of the lost pet had wound down to a pleading whine that somehow echoed through the village rotting far below.

"No point playing anymore," Eren muttered, turning away from what lay beyond the wall to meet the concerned eyes of his friend.  

"...I can- I mean- I am your..." Eren shook his head, unable to come up with the right words. "You must all-ways do the thing that is best, right? Even if you do not want to?"

"...Yes... but-"

"But how do you know what is for good or not?"

"...What's going on Eren?"

Eren was silent, simply turning to look back beyond the wall again with an expression in his eyes that seemed... almost ancient.

"Ere-"

"Hey guys! You up here on wall duty too?" interrupted the loud, cheerful voice of Connie.

The dark light in Eren's eyes shattered into familiar blue-green as he sucked in a tight breath between his teeth and, with a new smile plastered on his lips, turned to face his friend.

"Hello Connie, yes we are,"

Connie smiled, bashfully scratching at his head as Eren turned his full attention on him, ignorant to the quiet alarmed looks Armin was now sending across his head.

"Cool! I mean- I think they wanted us to look at the cannons, you coming?"

Eren smiled a little wider, sincerely this time, at Connie's odd behaviour as he nodded and followed him.

"Hey guys," greeted Mina and Thomas, the latter blushing the same shade as Connie as Eren's eyes fell on him.

Hmm, this was getting odd now.

"Hey Thomas," Armin muttered.

Eren looked confusedly at Thomas then at Connie.

"You both are in a good mood. Why?"  He asked.

"Why are you two in such a good mood?" Armin corrected under his breath, still watching Eren very carefully.

Eren nodded once to Armin with a faintly annoyed look before turning back to the others.

"I know why Connie is. He's decided to join the scouts,” smiled Mina, tossing the thick black plats of her hair behind her shoulder as she watched the boy's blush deepen.

"Huh?! You are joining the Scouts?! Connie! You was so set on the Military Police!" Exclaimed Eren in surprise.

"Yeah, I was!" Connie threw out the corner of his mouth, bending back down to the cannon to avoid everyone's looks.

"Sounds like your speech yesterday won him over," Mina stated with a kind grin.

"Huh?!" Eren blinked several times in shock. Connie wanted to join the scouts because of what he said? 

"M-Mind your own business! I decided it on my own!"

"Don't be so embarrassed. You're not the only one."

Everyone looked round at that, eyes falling on a gently smiling Thomas, all wide open with surprise.

Eren felt as if his own eyes were going to fall out with the shock. Thomas was joining the scouts too? He actually managed to get across what he meant to say to this man who held so much fear.

Could he really have given this man his hope back?

"Thomas? You don't mean-?" He started, only for his train of thought to be cut off with a sudden change in the wind and a new scent.

_Something smells so good, so good._

Saliva pooled in Eren's mouth and a strange clenching feeling took a hold of his stomach as he turned to see Sasha walking towards them, a strange shuddering haze over her eyes and a lick of drool creeping from her mouth.

"Umm, everyone? I brought some meat from the officers' storehouse," She shuddered again with excitement as she drew back her jacket to reveal a length of something pink tied up with rope.

Eren stared at it, a mixture of feelings swooping through his body; the first of which was relief. For a moment there he had thought he was smelling Sasha and that thought filled him with pure, undiluted fear. But no... It was a type of food he was smelling.

Then the uneasiness came back as he realised it was-

"Meat?" He asked, swallowing down the saliva filling his mouth as he tore his eyes away from the stuff and back up to Sasha.

"It's freshly cured pork," she grinned at Eren, lifting it up slightly for him to look at.

Eren took a step backwards.

"Sasha! Do you want to end up in solitary confinement?!" Mina gasped, looking around as if the officers were going to swoop down on them at any moment.

"You really are crazy! So much it's scary!" Exclaimed Connie, who looked torn between feeling scared and impressed.

"We can all share it later. All sliced up and between some bread," Sasha told them all.

Eren wasn't listening, he was turning around and quickly walking away.

"Go put it back!" He heard Armin telling her from behind him. 

"Yeah! After we lost all that land, meat's become really valuable." Mina was chiding her in a far off voice.

Eren didn't hear anymore, simply focusing on placing one foot in front of another and getting as far away from that scent as possible.

The wind changed direction again and Eren slowed to a stop, taking a deep calming breath in as he tried to purge that smell from his mind.

_I'm not like those other Titans. I won't eat those that lived. I don't need to eat. I'm Eren here, not a Titan. I swear I won't eat. I won't eat. I won't-_

"Hey Eren, why did you leave? Are you okay?"

Eren looked up through his hands at Armin, wondering for a moment why the confused looking boy was taller than him.

An icy feeling spread through his legs as he looked down and noticed he was kneeling on cold stone, body posed as if in prayer to one of the human's 'wall gods'.

Nodding his head distractedly, Eren picked himself up and turned to face his sunflower.

"I am fine. We should look at cannons We will get found out if we do not get- uh- back to work,"

"Work can wait a bit Eren. I want you to just listen to me for a minute,"

Eren hesitantly nodded, not really wanting to listen to whatever Armin was going to say but knowing, with that serious face, he couldn't escape it.

"Something's bothering you lately. I know you Eren so don't shake your head at me. Something's got you upset and I think I know what it is." Armin took a deep breath as he turned to face his suddenly nervous looking friend directly, before ploughing on. "I don't know what happened to you in the past, how you got to be like you are; you never want to talk about it and that's... fine. No really it is. What's not fine is letting that past do this to you. You think you're not- not worthy or something. I can tell Eren. I just- I just think you should focus more on the now and making yourself happy..."

There was a long silence as Armin and Eren simply stood, looking at each other. Eren opened and closed his trembling lips but nothing came out.

Armin smiled and scratched at his hair before breaking the lengthening silence.

"Don't worry Eren. The future looks good. It's been five years. We're finally getting our dignity back. We'll join the Scouts like you always wanted and we'll win, we'll kill every last one of those Titans, all of- Eren? What's wrong?"

Something odd was happening to Eren's face as Armin said those last words.

It sort of folded in on itself, eyes closing and mouth pulling back into a smiling grimace.

"Ja natürlich,"

"Ere-"

Then everything was suddenly noise, and light and the scraping echoing vibrations of cracking, splintering rock.

Eren and Armin span around, just managing to keep their balance as the world twisted and trembled beneath their feet. Then they saw it, all thoughts of strange tremors forgotten as their mouths fell open in undiluted horror.

Screams filled the air.

"Oh gods," Armin whispered.

Steam billowed up from the gigantic figure like ash from a volcano, choking the air with the thick stench of blood and raw living flesh.

"...Nein," breathed Eren.

 

The colossal was back.


	16. Making choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet you guys didn't think I'd be updating this one again so soon :)  
> The next chapter sadly will take a bit longer as it is very rough right now, I don't have a beta for it anymore and I probably won't have as much time to do it... if I actually get on with being a responsible adult and do all my lesson planning for next term... guh... I don't wanna work...
> 
> Anywho, hope you all enjoy this one and check out my tumblr if you're interested :)  
> http://curlyhairedone.tumblr.com/

 

 

 

 

* * *

_Move closer. Much closer._

_Move faster. Much faster._

_Move._

_Move!_

_MOVE!!!!_

Eren launched himself off of the wall, body moving like a bullet from a gun, aimed straight at the colossal's neck. 

_Not again. Never again._

"Stirb!" he screamed, tear drops spiralling through the air behind him like a comet trail.  

It wasn't going to happen again. He wouldn't let it! He-

He was already too late. Deep down inside, he knew it. He had felt the thrumming ache of the ravaged rocks and had heard the screaming shudders of stone torn from stone. But at that moment he couldn't think of that. All he could think of was bringing his blades through that  _ **thing's**_  neck. 

Then steam billowed up once more, curling up around Eren's body in an instant, obscuring his vision. 

"Nein! Bitte nicht!" He screamed as he desperately brought his blades through the empty fog.

Furious tears streamed down his face, dripping over twitching lips and clenched teeth as he shot his gear towards the wall, anchoring himself into place. 

_If I had been there. If I hadn't been so weak against my - if I hadn't moved-_

"Eren! Eren are you okay?!"

- _I would have been able to do it. Why was I so weak to such a foolish thing? Why did I move from that place and-?!_

"EREN!"

Eren started and looked up to see wide blue eyes staring down at him, framed with a golden halo of hair. 

"Eren, are you alright?!" Armin shouted. 

"...N- I- I am fine. We go now!" 

 

* * *

 

It was madness everywhere as they made their way through the city.  

People scrambled over each other, pushing and shoving in their rush to move, to flee, to  _Just. Get. Out._

For a while it was all noise and confusion and the cloying smell of urine and fear.  But then a hush fell over the screaming city; it was almost silent. 

There was still the odd piercing cry and horrified wail but for the most part it was quiet. All there was was the loud beat of running feet on the ground, echoing through the city as the people steadily and determinedly made their seemingly futile escape. 

It was so much more than the small group of cadets could stand as they made their way through the city, flying on the cusp of that long breath before the plunge.

By the time they got to the supply depot and gave their shaking reports,  Thomas could barely stand, Sasha was quaking with shivers and Armin was...

Well- Armin wasn't doing so good. 

"I-it went for the cannons! And it didn't take out the gate by accident, either! It _does_ have intelligence!" He hissed through shivering lips, hands trembling as he tried to get his gas tank filled. 

"Are you okay, Armin?" Eren asked, his own hands steady as they reached to help his friend in his task. 

Armin jerked his hands back, frowning down at the small, slender digits then looking up at Eren with wide eyes. 

"I-I'm fine! I'll calm down soon enough! Still, this is bad! We don't have the technology to quickly seal an eight-meter-high hole!" Armin looked back at his shivering hands, trying once again to fill the canister. "And we never did manage to unearth that big rock near the front gate! Unless we seal the hole, this city's as good as lost! It's only a matter of time until Wall Rose is breached! In fact, if they ever feel like it, they can pretty much wipe out humanity anytime they want!" 

Eren felt his eyes widening as he took in his friend's shaking frame and hitching voice, feeling a strange apprehensive prickle in his stomach. 

He wouldn't let it show though. 

"Armin! You calm! This is _not_ like last time! Humans will not give into Titans anymore!" He all but shouted, trying his best to project a calm and even tone for his friend as he blocked out the roaring tidal wave of guilt surging through his stomach.  

Somehow it worked though. Armin's shaking stopped and he managed to connect the canister, body relaxing slightly at his friend's words. 

"...I'm sorry; I'm all right," he nodded. 

Eren nodded as well, short and sharp before turning his attention back to his surroundings, his mind abuzz with commands and conflicting feelings.  

"We are on Titan-clearing du-aty yes? They said in middle guard." Eren stated, trying to sort through his jumbled thoughts for a clear, defined purpose. 

" _The advance team has been wiped out! The outer gate has been breached, and the Titans have been allowed inside! In other words, the Armored Titan could very well appear again and demolish the inner gate at any time!"_

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the man's voice and panicked shouts reverberating through his memories. He focused instead on the job at hand. 

"We are to keep Wall Rose safe until the humans all have evacuating," Eren repeated. 

Armin nodded softly as Eren stretched up from his low squat and turned his focus of the small group of humans scattered around him. 

"You can't be serious"

"No, no, no, noooo,"

"Y-you gotta be kidding me"

"If they end up breaching Rose too-"

"Why today? I would've been on my way to the interior tomorrow,"

Eren recognised the last one's voice, turning to see Jean banging his clenched hand against the wall, eyes wide with fear. 

"Hey, Jean! What's wrong?!" Eren asked, pulling the man back from his fruitless assault on the uncaring stone.  

"What's wrong?" He asked again when Jean made no sign to answer. "We are ready for the fight. We have learned it."

And quick as a flash, Jean twisted on the spot, looming over Eren with a warped mixture of fear and rage imprinted on his face. 

"That's easy for you to say, you suicidal simpleton! You want to join the Scouts! You're ready to be Titan chow anytime! - But I was headed for the interior tomorrow!" 

"You calm Jean!"

"You expect me to _calm_ down and accept death you stupid bastard?!"

"No. _**No**_! Look back! Look back to three years of us sweating and blooding! So many times we went close to dying in the three years! Some did not make it. But you did! You are strong! I am- I know we can survive today too! You will not take death. You only survive today and go for the inter-i-ahor tomorrow!"

Unaware of all of his surroundings, but the look of surprise on Jean's face, Eren missed the heads slowly rising to look at him. Twisting round like wilted plants following a sudden burst of sunlight, wide eyes sharp on his every movement. 

There was a beat of silence. 

"Damn! Let's go, Daz!" Cried one. 

"Quit your damn cryin'!" Proclaimed another, getting off the floor. 

Jean just stared at Eren a moment longer before snorting in an over the top way and turning to leave. 

Eren felt himself deflate as he watched Jean leave. If only he was better at expressing himself with this language, perhaps he would be better at convincing others, at giving them hope...

But language wasn't his forte. No, his true strength was hidden away, shrouded in shadow as filthy black as his true nature. 

He knew what he should do but he didn't want to do it. 

_"We'll win, we'll kill every last one of those **Titans** ,"_

 

Oh Earth, did he not want to do it. 

"If the battle gets chaotic, both of you come find me." Came Mikasa's voice suddenly from behind him, interrupting those resigned thoughts. 

Armin and Eren turned round with surprised expressions on their faces. 

"But we're in different squads," stated Armin in a nonplussed tone. 

"If the situation falls apart, things won't go according to plan. We need to be together, where we work best." 

"Mika, you can not-"

"What the hell are you doing Cadet Ackermann?" Came a soldier's voice, interrupting Eren. 

"Sir I do not think I am qua-"

"She is just coming sir," interrupted Armin before pulling Mikasa down to whisper in her ear. 

"Eren and I are in the same team. You know we will be fine. You've seen us. You should trust us. Don't disobey orders Mikasa," he hissed in a deeply disapproving tone. 

She blinked several times in sharp surprise at his unusually harsh voice, but, on turning and seeing those same words in Eren's eyes, she softly nodded. 

"Just don't die," she told Armin who smiled and shook his head. 

"I won't."

"Eren... _please_ don't die," she repeated as she turned to see Eren's thoughtful eyes widen with surprise. 

"I c- I won't."

* * *

 

Blood steamed gently, curling into whisps of smoke before Eren's glazed, half-open eyes. 

His brow crinkled faintly at the strange high pitch noises unfurling around him.

Odd. What were they...?

" _THOMAS!"_

_"What the hell are you doing?!"_

_"Eren! - Don't go off on your own!"_

_"Get back here, damn it!"_

_"Eren! Eren! Stop!"_

 

Eren blinked twice, pushing himself up as broken tiles slipped under his red stained fingers. 

The high pitched noises turned into shouts which turned into screams which surrounded him as he looked sharply around, shaking off the numb throbbing pain creeping up his leg. 

He tried to stand but fell down. 

_Huh? Oh... **oh**. _

He looked away from the freely bleeding, chewed up leg, instead grabbing at his blades and belt, reading himself to move. 

He had made a mistake. He saw Thomas get eaten and almost traded the lives of his squad for his fruitless reckless rage. He fought but didn't think. 

He hadn't chosen his battle. 

There was no time to dwell on this though, no time to feel. Not if he wanted to save the humans around him. 

He pushed off the clattering tiles, blocking out the sharp shuddering pain and quickly readying his blades as he moved, slicing down on the neck of the Titan reaching for his sunflower. 

Blood screamed in his veins at the sight of Armin brushing so close to the fate of all living meat, but he kept the rage down this time. This time **he**  chose where he went, not his anger.

He went to save the rest of his squad. 

**Eren makes his choice.**

He stopped holding back, suddenly aware of how much he had been restricting himself in his every movement, aware of the bad habits he had been developing as he maintained his human mask. 

He breathed out, letting his limbs fly loose and free, steam billowing out behind him and a blank smiling expression on his face as he set to slaughtering every Titan around him, pulling his companions from the gaping teeth of monsters and death as he performed his dance. 

His form rippled like a flame, his breath hard as the wind. He moved. Oh how did he move. 

His hopes to be human had lead to Thomas dying. He knew that now. 

He could have prevented it. He could have swung in like this, he could have cut, chopped and hacked into heated flesh like that. 

He could have parted bone like snapping twigs, could have sliced through the air like the wind and have slaughtered his prey like the monster he truly was. 

He fell into silence, swooping down and picking up the survivors like they were made of nothing but air, gathering his squad- no wait. That is what humans call them. 

**Eren isn't human.**

He gathered the humans up onto the roof. Relieved that the majority of them hadn't died due to his mistake. 

Screams filled the air like flies, people were being consumed all around and Eren had been standing there playing make believe. 

No. The Hunter had. 

**Eren isn't real.**

His pack have been talking to him for a while now, saying something about a broken leg or maybe the way he moved? He hadn't been listening. 

Instead he simply turned to them, and the muffled noises stopped. 

"I have a plan but I need help, need to draw Titan's away from hole, civilians and base. Armin, I have thinked of what you said. The hole needs to be sealed. How? It does not matter what you say, any ideas be good now,"

"E- Eren- what are you-" the wide eyed Mina started to ask; but Armin, seeing the look in Er- the Hunter's eyes, held up a hand to stop her with a thoughtful expression. 

"The big rock near the gate, if it could be unearthed. But that's impossible right now,"

"What the hell?! Why are we even talking about this? We need to move guys! We need to find the vanguard!" Spluttered Nac, finally tearing his eyes away from the Hunter's mangled leg. 

The Hunter, who had been ignoring the heavy gaze, turned his intense focus on Nac's words, causing the man to flinch back at the burning gaze. 

"Yes- move. What we are doing not work. Vanguard are broken. Titans smell better with more, more humans make more Titans. Where you think they heading now?" 

There was a beat of silence then a collective intake of breath. 

"The civilians! The evacuation!" Exclaimed Mina. 

The hunter nodded "Yes, and where many of the squads are. Can you see the supply pot?" 

The pack looked around to where the Hunter pointed, several gasping as they saw many the lumbering forms starting to surround it. 

"We can use this sense of smell against them though, that's your plan isn't it Eren?"

The hunter turned to look at Armin with mild surprise before he smiled, a pained smile but still clearly showing his pride in his friend. 

"Yes. We gather a big number of us, draw Titans to one place.  Three  attach selves to wall, keep in place while rest of us draw Titans in, giving space to necks to strike in one large together attack."

His herd stared uncertainly. Then Mina hesitantly spoke, looking at from person to person then at the young man before them with such a steady and calm look in his eyes. 

"It's a better plan than just randomly killing the things and it will draw them away but- can we change our orders just like that?" 

"Yes," said Armin simply, smiling at the Hunter. 

His friend just nodded to him and turned to the others. 

"Mina, Nac, Mylius. You pull in from right, are three Titans there. Armin, me. We get five from left. All pull in to wall by that church. **No more deaths** , take time, look first. Check for de-veants ones."

They moved quickly, the Hunter keeping an ear out for panicked yells and pained screams. 

Armin and the Hunter were a good team. The Hunter distracted the Titans, swinging quickly in front of their gormless eyes while Armin saved those under their feet and hands, pulling many failing cadets out of the way of teeth and hunger. 

The Hunter proceeded to work quickly and emotionlessly, luring the Titans away from more easy prey with swaying movements and the vivid splashes of human blood on his clothes.  

Vaguely, as he worked, the Hunter heard Armin talking with the humans they saved. 

The soldiers they rescued didn't seem to be anyone they knew and were confused as hell about who he and Armin were, asking searching questions and yelling commands. 

Armin just calmly gave them instructions to add to their effort, lying through his teeth as they questioned where the orders came from. 

Soon enough, the church was in sight again and the Hunter could see Mina and Mylius attaching themselves to the wall. 

Nac was nowhere to be seen. 

The Hunter put the implications of that to the side, instead shouting instructions to those behind him as the group of soldiers shot forwards, attaching themselves to the wall as the Titans scrambled after them. 

Somehow, between their efforts and the added assistance of the rescued soldiers, they had managed to gather fourteen ravenous Titans and every single one of the soldiers looked horrified at this fact.  

All apart from Armin and him who, having quickly reapplied the flower scent from their backpacks, were stood facing the naked necks bared towards them. 

They exchanged a look, the Hunter's eyes full of blank certainty and Armin's full of...

The blankness faded from the Hunter's eyes, to be replaced with a soft, almost smiling, gaze. 

"You can do this Armin. You have done it before. You are more strong thank you think... I am here to help you save them all,"

Armin's lips parted faintly them a smile curled at them as he met the Hunter's gaze. 

They nodded to each other one last time and moved. Armin came in from the left and the Hunter in from the right. 

Their blades hissed out of their sheaths, drawing in a whistling breath as they slid through the air and towards their targets. 

There was a neat little 'pock' noise as, in unison, they burst through the meat like a hammer through ripe, taut fruit. 

The first two Titans went down as one, unaware of the ant like figures cannoning off their backs and onto the next Titan in their paths. Unaware of anything. 

The humans, however, were more than aware, and watched with painfully wide eyes as the two child soldiers cut the largest of Titans down like a blade of grass. Watching the two figures fighting against what would make soldiers twice their age, curl up and give into the inevitable. 

And how they moved! They were almost mirror images at first, lightly spinning and softly flowing through the air like birds of prey. It was clear that they had trained extensively with each other and were fully aware of the other's capabilities, enough to synchronise their actions and attack efficiently. 

It soon became apparent however, after the blond's forth kill and the brunette's sixth, that the taller one had a better speed of attack, a greater level of stamina and more experience, but still...

It was only when last Titan fell to the ground and the two figures fell back onto one of the splintered roofs (the blond one falling to his knees and sucking in what looked like painfully deep breaths), that the soldiers realised they could in fact move and not just stare dumbstruck into space, and came down to stand before the two fighting prodigies. 

"-was very good for your first time," the brown haired one was saying, patting the blond's heaving shoulders. "Eyes on your feet though, almost fell off on your last,"

Mouths fell open and eyes bugged out of sockets. 

-And Armin started laughing. It was either that or start crying. 

"We can't all be perfect," he wheezed, still staring at the broken tiles digging into his fingers.  

"You come close," The Hunter smiled softly. The smile quickly melted off as he saw the group of humans staring at them with an expression the Hunter had only ever seen in Armin, Mikasa and Sasha before. 

It was frozen faces and round white rimmed eyes, slack jaws and pale skin. 

It was awe and the Hunter _didn't_ like it. 

"What are you doing!? You need keep going! We clear this area but need to clear our de pot more! Move!"

The humans quickly melted away, all but for Mina and Mylius who continued to stare at The Hunter and Armin like they had two heads. 

"Why didn't you get top spot? The both of you?" Mina finally spoke. 

Armin smiled nervously and shrugged. 

"C'mon, we've got work to do," said the Hunter with a soft shrug, voice deep and strong as he turned away and shot out his cables. 

It was impossible not to follow that voice. 

The pack followed their leader. 


	17. Cannot be kept

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Urgh, I have lost the ability to have lie-ins. Why am I waking up at 5.30 every morning when I don't need to? Who even does that?  
> Said hellish waking time has some beneficial side-affects though, namely that I have a bit more time for writing and editing. So I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and that I haven't missed anything out in my not-very sleep deprived state.
> 
> A big thanks yet again to everyone who has been supporting me with kudos and comments, including my new and incredibly lovely beta White Eevee.

 

 

 

 

* * *

_Today is the day they will find out._

The thought ran circles through the Hunter's mind as he flew through the air, aiming himself (and those who followed him) like an arrow towards the Titan infested supply depot.

Those words slowed the Hunter's movements to a crawl as he paused on a roof top, waiting for the rest of his pack to land next to him. 

He blinked several times, drawing in a what was supposed to be a deep, calming breath-

Which stuck in his throat like barbed wire as a familiar scent curled across his tongue.  

His eyes widened and he looked around desperately, hastily trying to calm himself down, to double check, to make _sure_. 

The hunter tasted the air, drawing in deep lungfulls of the stuff and rolling it over his tongue, slowly, thoughtfully. 

It was hard to tell, over all the blood, sweat and other bodily fluids filling the air with their pungent stench, but... he was _sure_ that he could smell Mikasa. 

The problem was that he _shouldn't_  have been smelling her. Mikasa was supposed to be on the rear guard, helping civilians and definitely _not_ _here_. That didn't mean however that he could dismiss it as a mere mistake.

The Hunter _knew_ that scent and he _knew_ that for some reason Mikasa had diverged from the plan. Something had made her disobey orders and, _for a moment,_ Eren was back and full of a sharp piercing fear.  

The moment ended with the light patter of feet as his sq- pack landed next to him. 

He couldn't risk them with his make believe games. He had to get them to the tower, had to save them all...

But the Hunter breathed in deep again and knew there was something he needed to do first. 

"We are going that way," 

The humans simply nodded, following him and surprising the Hunter who had expected them to make some argument about going to the depot. 

But they were silent, simply following him as he made his way through the maze of roof tops, chimneys and bloated bodies, occasionally stopping to draw in a breath of blood stained air. 

Then there was a flash of red in the corner of his eye and the Hunter stopped, the hunter _saw_.  

It was then that he froze, then that the blood in the Hunter's veins stopped running, that his breath crystallised in his chest, weighing down his body. 

Mikasa was in a Titan's hand. She had been facing off against a Titan more than five times her size with little more than a broken blade and crushed gas cylinders. 

She was bleeding. 

The Hunter's breath hissed in his chest as he stared, wide eyed, utterly unmoving. 

It had made her _bleed_. That _thing_ was trying to _eat_ her, stuff his flower into its mouth as if she was simply a piece of bread, as if she wasn't **so much more than that.**

 

_This is the day they find out_ , the hunter thought distantly, not really registering the blurs of his pack as they flew past him (All but for Armin who stood by his friend's side, rooted to the spot in the horrifying sight of his best friend struggling in the grip of a monster.)  

The hunter didn't look back once, as he raised his hand to his mouth and leaped forward, plummeting to the earth in a billowing cloud of steam. 

It had been years, so many years now, since Eren had taken on his larger form. 

For a moment he felt unsteady, perturbed as his flesh bubbled and expanded around him, consuming his smaller form in the boiling, twisted mass. Then the sheer familiarity of the sharp burning sensation hit him.  

He was himself again, truly and completely. 

Glowing sea green eyes snapped open and beheld the world spread out below in its sharp focus and mosaic of scents. 

There was no time to relish this though, no time to become accustomed to the change. 

There were screams before him as the humans noticed the new addition, and a large gasp of fear from behind, where the Hunter could not look. 

The two Titans payed no attention to those humans running around them now though. One was more focused on devouring the morsel in its hands, and the other focused purely on saving said morsel. 

 

The Hunter launched forwards, slamming the bony knuckles of his horse sized fists into every square inch of flesh that didn't occupy his night flower. 

Gently prying Mikasa out from the tight grasping grip of the severed arm, he cradled her frozen form to his chest, kicking forwards with his right foot, straight through his opponent's neck with a crunching wet squelch. 

With a sharp spin, the hunter threw off the already decaying body from his leg and turned his attention to his little one, now clasped gently between his hands. 

There was a mild stabbing pain coming from there, almost like that of a flee bite. His little flower seemed to be attacking him, slicing her blades into his fingers in an attempt to get free. 

Understandable really. 

He gently extended his arms away from himself towards the frozen form of Armin, staring up at him with an expression the Hunter had never seen directed his way before. 

The Hunter stilled as their eyes met, before looking away, ashamed, unable to meet the petrified gaze for any longer than that one, searingly painful moment. 

He carefully placed Mikasa down, next to his flower. Pausing again as he felt Armin shift away, backing away from the friend turned foe. 

There was a long moment of silence as the Hunter stared blankly into space, then he nodded. 

_...Understandable really_.

Carefully he took several steps back covering his nap in case she decided to go after the 'strange titan'. 

She didn't though, she just stared. Eyes as wide as saucers she met the Hunter's gaze with a slack jaw and a lost expression. 

"E-Eren?" came Armin's quiet shaking voice. 

The Hunter didn't look at him, averting his eyes from his- from the humans, turning away from the expression he knew would be on their faces. 

Betrayal, hatred. He... he didn't want to see it. 

He moved, step echoing with each pounding leap he took as he ran away. 

 

* * *

 

_Eren is a Titan._  

Armin blinked and tried that again. 

_Eren, my friend, turned into a fifteen metre giant and beat up a Titan._

Nope. It still didn't make sense, no matter how many times he tried to phrase it. 

"-min! Armin!" 

Armin blinked several times, realising he was being shaken by an irritable and worried looking Mikasa. 

"Hello Kasa," Armin murmured with a warped, wide-eyed smile. 

"...Hello Armin," Mikasa returned quietly, before bringing her hands up to her friend's head to check for injuries. 

"I'm fine," Armin murmured, a faint but real smile curling at his mouth at Mikasa's mothering nature. 

"I'll be the judge of that. What happened? Where's Eren?"

The small smile dropped off Armin's face. 

 

_He jumped off a building, turned into a giant and ran off. No._

_Eren seems to be a bit larger than life. And by that I mean he's a freaking Tita- No._

_Mikasa, our friend- who can't even kill a spider no matter how much I beg- just turned into a fifteen meter Titan and decapitated another Titan with his foot._

 

No-o it just... didn't quite sound right. 

In the end Armin settled for opening and closing his mouth a few times like a goldfish and shaking his head. 

"He's... around,"

Mikasa stared at him suspiciously, eyes sharp and concerned. 

"Let's go find him then,"

"No! I- I mean, it's probably better if we follow that Titan right now. He's on our side, best- best keep him alive,"

Armin attached one of his gas cylinders to Mikasa, ignoring her sharp protest. 

"Yours were smashed right? You should take them, you're stronger, you can make better use of this while carrying me," 

Mikasa breathed a sharp sigh of relief. 

"For a moment there I thought you were being a fool and trying to get me to leave you behind,"

Armin gave a strangled laugh at that. 

"Then who would be around to keep you and Eren out of trouble?" he joked, hiding the maelstrom of emotions whirling in his head with a mild smile. 

 

 

 

There was a patter of feet as Mina and Mylius joined them, doing a reasonable imitation of Armin's goldfish impression from earlier. 

"T-that Titan is killing the others. What the h-hell is going on?!" Mylius finally stuttered out with wide unbelieving eyes. 

"Don't know, I  _really_  don't know. But I _am_ going to find out," Armin hummed.

 

* * *

 

It wasn't just Mikasa who hadn't forgotten Eren, Armin soon found. 

As they flew after 'the Titan' Mina and Mylius started bombarding Armin with questions on Eren's whereabouts. 

"He went ahead," was all that Armin said, in a clear and final tone of voice, just loud enough to be heard over the whistle of wind and clanking of cables as they made their way through the shattered city. 

They dropped down at one of the buildings, watching with wide eyes as the Titan attacked one of its own, pulling its arms tight into its body like a boxer. 

_Like Eren,_ Armin quietly thought. 

"It's the Beserker! He's here?! How is he alive?!" 

Armin looked around at Connie's surprised screech, as the guy dropped down beside them with several other familiar faces and huge, bulging eyes. 

"The Beserker?" Armin echoed faintly. 

The Titan who tried to defend Shiganshina? Who fought against its own kind and met its end there... on the same day that Eren came into their lives... 

 

**"It died! I saw it died."**

 

The group was silent for the longest time, simply watching the 'berserker' barreling through Titan after Titan, eyes positively glowing in its feral fervour as it painted itself red with minced chunks of its prey. 

Mouths fell wide, skin paled and many eyes shined with what could be mistaken for either fear or hope. 

It _should_ have been fear but somehow it  _felt_ like hope. 

Mikasa held no such expression in her eyes though, turning to Armin and pulling him back to hiss into his ear: 

" _ **Where is Eren**_?"

"He's go-"

"I found Nac; he was in your team" Mikasa interrupted, staring intently at Armin as he numbly registered the meaning of those words. "I went looking for you because I was scared- I thought that your team got in trouble. Armin... **W h e r e  i s  E r e n?** _"_

Armin's eyes unwillingly turned back to the gigantic figure ripping a small Titan asunder like it was tearing paper. 

"He- he turned into a Titan," he stated, a single hysterical hitch belaying the calmness of his monotone. 

The following silence was made all the louder for the distant roars of the Beserker titan. 

"... **What**?"

Armin stared at the bloody scene unfolding before them with wide, feverish eyes. 

"It all makes sense now: why he didn't know how to speak our language properly, how he never talks about himself or where he comes from? Think of what _day_ we met him on. Mikasa, he's from outside the walls. He's the ti-"

"Stop it Armin." Mikasa whispered as she took hold of Armin's shoulders and tried to calm the hitching shuddering movements taking over his frame. "How can Eren be a Titan? You're not making any-"

"-He saved you." Armin interrupted, voice suddenly calm and blue eyes steady as they met her's. "He protected you. Look at his eyes again. Mikasa, just _look_ at him," Armin pleaded as he twisted his friend around by the shoulders, to point at the Titan standing not far from them now as it surveyed it's dissolving quarry. 

 

Mikasa felt the world slowly freeze around her as she stared at the creature. 

Slowly the Titan was turning away, it's shoulder length hair shifting with each steady movement. 

She could not see its face. 

The Titan paused, cocking its head slightly to the side before shifting its weight to the right and quickly bringing up its left leg to kick through the stomach of a new arrival. 

She could not see its eyes. 

A step forward, then another, and Mikasa was moving, ignoring the shouts and pleas of those around her. 

She needed to see. She needed to know. 

Mikasa's whole body trembled as the Titan froze, taking in deep breaths through its nose and breathing them out through his mouth in a faint haze of steam.

 

**The world surrounded by snow, covering the filthy dirt of their new 'home', making everything within Trost _for once_ seem pure and uncorrupted.  Eren smiling at her in an angel shaped puddle, taking in deep breaths of the crisp air through his nose and releasing them through his mouth in a plume of steam; a lazy, content smile on his face. **

 

She didn't need to see his face. She didn't need to see his eyes. 

 "Eren," she breathed. 

 The Titan jerked faintly but did not turn, simply staring into space, unblinkingly, unmovingly. Chest rising and falling in short sharp movements. 

 She didn't feel or hear the arrival of the others as they landed around her once again. Her attention was solely focused on the back of her friend's head as he steadfastly ignored her gaze. 

 What she did notice was when they started talking. If only for the fact that Eren took notice of it too. 

"-could lure it to the depot. There are too many Titans there right now, no one can refill their tanks. If we get this thing to distract them we might survive this," Mina was saying with a painfully hopeful voice.  

"He heard you..." Mikasa murmured. 

The group looked at her in confusion then at the Titan who, sure enough, had angled himself towards the depot towers with a calculating look in his eyes. 

There was a moment of silence, filled only with the distant rumble of giant steps and soft, far of screams. Then the Beserker moved. 

There was a rush of wind as the squad watched it disappear, slightly dazed as they stumbled in its wake. 

"This is crazy," Connie breathed, preparing himself to fly again. "I mean this is total bat shit. _It understood us_?! Am I even awake?"

Armin started to laugh hysterically and Mikasa stared at him blankly. 

"Let's go," was all that she could say.

 

* * *

 

Body after body collapsed into steam under his fists. He no longer stopped to breath in the red stained haze of his work, no longer roared his feral pleasure as fingers dug into meat and teeth broke into bone. 

There was no time to enjoy. There were too many for that, too many. 

But the Hunter couldn't stop now, even as he felt blunt teeth ripping into his body, even as he felt himself being torn into and parted by writhing, wriggling fingers. 

No. His humans were still in that building. He needed to make it safe for when they came out. He needed to-

There were too many. 

Hands forced him back, pinning him into a crumbling building, rubble slipping under him and crashing back every time he tried to push off, to get away from those teeth eating into his stomach. 

Then a voice sounded. 

"Eren,"

It was small, whispered and full of harsh pain. 

The Hunter's eyes flickered, then they sharpened into a flint like gaze as many voices sounded. 

"It's being _eaten?!"_

"They're eating it!?"

"Over there, that's the Titan that killed Thomas,"

His ears twitched at that, eyes spinning and feet digging into the churned up ground as he barreled himself forward, blood pouring from his body like a fountain as he literally ripped himself from the ravenous Titan horde, towards that one who had consumed his frightened friend. The one who had not cared for that terrified man it had swallowed down. 

It was dead in mere moments but he didn't stop, he couldn't stop. Legs swinging, teeth snapping and eyes burning, he hunted down the last of his quarry until it was over, and the Hunter stood above their deformed, melting remains. 

He felt hollow. 

It hadn't helped. He didn't know why. Usually it helped. 

"Eren,"

He blinked up at the sky, fighting against the darkness threatening to devour him.  

"E-Eren," came that voice again. It was so quiet, too quiet for him to have really heard it against the screams around him and the distant roars of his kin. 

He must have imagined it...

It was only when the rubble crumbled against his back that he realised he had fallen back into one of the ruined buildings. 

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind as wavering vision. 

**_"_ My little hunter _, please..."_**

_No. Not giving up. Not now. **Not ever.**  _

The Hunter pushed himself up, staring down at his arms as they slowly weaved new flesh over the growing bone. 

_K-keep going. S-save them. **I. WILL. SAVE. THEM!**_

His roar echoed through the shattered structures around him. 

He knew what he had to do. 

 

Slowly, he pushed himself off that crumbling structure, broken feet shuffling and stuttering with every step as he forced himself to move. 

Steam trailed in his wake as he painfully picked his way towards his goal. 

Time stretched and warped as he stumbled forward, using the buildings around him to push forward with his raw, skeletal limbs. 

In what felt both like no time and an eternity at once, he found himself standing before that boulder, looking down at it with hazy eyes as he circled it and considered it's weight. 

"It's another one Sir!"

The Hunter's eyes widened, alarm clearing away the hazy edges of his vision. No, not now. 

"Oh gods! It's another fifteen metre!"

His hands still weren't properly formed, could they protect his nape properly?

"We have to attack now, while it's weak. I'll go in on the right, private you go in on the left!"

He looked around wildly, both hands now covering his neck. 

"No wait! That Titan isn't going to attack you!" Came the voice of one of his flowers. The Hunter found he couldn't look their way though as he stared blindly forward. 

"Get away from me child! Have you gone mad?"

"No! Listen to him! He's not lying, that Titan-"

"Enough of this! Cut at the muscles in it's arms, make it drop its hands,"

"No! Don't attack it!" Came a new voice. A voice that made the Hunter pause and listen to its wild tone of both desperation and happiness. 

The Hunter glanced around wildly, as a faintly familiar figure dropped amongst those soldiers. 

He squinted at it, trying to remember where- 

Oh. _Oh_ it was them. That human with the glasses, the odd one who had _cried_ over him and seemed to be a companion of- of...

" _There you are,_ "

His body stiffened, eyes widening and steaming hands loosening on his nape. 

Slowly, he turned and looked down at the boulder before him. 

Perched on the centre of the rocky mass, straightening his cream white cravat, was _him_. It was his human. 

His Levi. 

 

The hunter's arms dropped in shock, limply falling to his side as he met the now startled gaze of his human. 

He didn't even hear the sudden clamour of yells and screams behind him, his eyes only on Levi as he saw his human's eyes flicker from stunned surprise to a dark glare at something behind the Hunter. 

Then Levi was moving, cords shooting out as he swung outwards, faster than the eye could track, blades outstretched. 

The Hunter didn't have time to panic as those wires cut into him. He just had enough time to turn and see-

Levi colliding with another human, blades clattering and screeching against theirs as he unceremoniously shoved them backwards and away from the Hunter's nape. 

There was a long silence in which the echoes of that crash of metal against metal reverberated across the rubble and ruins of the battleground. 

The Hunter's mind went white with complete and utter shock as he watched his human grab the falling attacker, pulling his wires from the Hunter's body with a soft sting and shooting up towards the other humans. 

 _He... he just...?!_ The hunter couldn't even complete that thought as this strange reality caught up with him.

"Stop your attack morons!" He distantly heard him command the other humans. 

The hunter could smell their surprise, sharp and bitter, at the fact that Levi, Humanities Strongest, the renowned Titan slayer, had just defended a Titan. 

"Stop your attack," he ordered again before turning back and meeting the Hunter's unmoving gaze. 

Short breaths heaved at the Hunter's chest. He couldn't have looked away even if he wanted to. 

And Levi stared back, brow slightly furrowed as he unflinchingly met that freakishly intelligent gaze of the Titan.

It felt like hours before one of them moved. In actuality it was mere minutes before the Hunter, still not breaking that gaze, slowly lifted his hand from his side, pointed to the bolder and the breach then back to himself. 

Gasps echoed and a babble of shocked and alarmed voices rose around them. 

The Corporal and the Hunter didn't notice this though as their locked gaze continued. 

Then Levi nodded, tight and quick. 

The Hunter tore his gaze away from those steely traps, turning to the boulder and squatting down.

Muscles screaming and teeth gritting, the Hunter lunged with his body, pulling rock from Earth with a scraping screech of tearing stone. 

It was heavy, possibly the most heavy thing the Hunter had ever lifted. 

For every moment he stood with that weight upon his shoulders, he felt like his body was being pushed, being _crushed_ , closer and closer to the ground. 

_Better start moving then._

 

Step by shaking step, the Hunter began to move, eyes latched on his goal, on that gate. 

His mind wasn't though, it was still lost, fluttering from grey stormy eyes to aching, agonising predictions. 

Soon the humans would all discover the truth, that the thing they took in, the thing they trusted as a human was not in fact human. They would find out that the being they called 'Eren' was the same creature that hunted them during their waking hours and consumed their dreams. 

His human, Levi... how would he react? Would he try to save him again?- _What was that_?- or would he be filled with disgust? And how... how would his flowers even be able to look at him? A monster, the same that stole their families and their futures... to see them looking at him, knowing what he was... he couldn't... he- he...

The Hunter's breath froze and his step fell short, almost sending him to the earth before he grounded his stance and stood tall once more, staring at the shattered gate just before him. 

... He knew what he was going to do. 

He stopped walking and looked around himself, wincing as he saw the humans flying around, tackling everything in his path, felling Titans like lumber. 

His gaze searched desperately amongst the figures, only to stop and relax as he saw his flowers land on a nearby building staring at him with a strange mixture of apprehension and confusion on their faces. 

He looked back at the breach, then at his humans. 

A look of horrified realisation dawned on Armin's face and the Hunter was turning away, unable to look again, deaf to everything, even the shouts of his sun flower. 

"Wait! Eren don't!"

The Hunter hefted the boulder, higher on his shoulders, slowly turning in place within the breach. 

He took one last look at the world within the walls, eyes somehow finding and latching onto the startled expression of his human's face as he landed on a nearby building. 

"No!" Levi shouted, rocketing off the structure. 

But he was too late. 

 

The Hunter heaved up the rock with all his strength, moving backwards through the wall as he guided the boulder into place.  

The sound of startled shouts and panicked yells was cut off with the deafening slam of rock against rock. 

The following silence was broken only by the thudding echo of that noise and the deep tremulous inhales of breath, resonating through the Hunter's massive form. 

He turned and stared out at the empty lands stretching all around him, gazing out at where he had been trying to escape to for so long. 

 

 

 

He hesitated, looking back one last time at the silent rock behind him, oblivious to the human forms on the other side, yelling and smashing their fists against the unrelenting rock. 

He turned back to face the unfamiliar world before him and started to move. 

His eyes itched and burned as he ran, as he ran away from his humans, away from Eren.


	18. The wait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'll start off by saying WOW! You guys are so SO amazing, I have no words to describe you all. Seriously, the day after I published the last chapter, I was in shock with how many comments I got and I have been getting loads since. I have had such lovely and supportive feedback from you all and I really don't deserve you! Especially with how long it's been taking me to update!
> 
> I do have a few reason for being so slow though. It's a mixture of: reaching the end of the school year, having to start teaching SATS stuff to nine and ten-year-olds who just want to go enjoy the curiously warm weather (actual hot weather in England- let's hope it lasts beyond a week), moving to a new house and being hit over the head with the inspiration brick. (I have had so many ideas that I don't quite know what to do with them all.)
> 
> The good news is that I only have about five more weeks for this academic year, then it's Summer holidays and I'll have a hell of a lot more time to write both this fic and maybe a few others that have been bouncing around in my skull. 
> 
> Thanks again for everyone for being so lovely and patient. I really hope you enjoy this new chapter, and feel free to message me either here or on tumblr (http://curlyhairedone.tumblr.com/) if you have any questions or if you just want to chat!
> 
> (p.s. how bloody appropriate is the title of this chapter. Sorry again guys!)

* * *

 

Levi stared at the rock before him, eyes tracing the pattern of soft fractures and cracks encasing the surface below his shaking hands. 

There was no way through. He could try to scale the wall but there would be no point. By the time he got up there, it would be too late. 

Levi closed his eyes, lips curling back over his teeth as he brought down his fists again, flakes of rock crumbling below them, circling down into the streets below. The streets that Titan had saved. The homes of so many humans that would be dead but for that... but for him. 

But for Levi's Titan, humanity would have yet again been at the mercy of beings that could never even begin to understand the concept of it. 

The afterimages of that massive form were imprinted in his mind; of those strange, unfathomable eyes that gazed at him as the colossal mass of rock descended, full of emotion... full of...

Levi looked up again, eyes flashing in the dim light. 

To hell with this. He was getting that Titan back if it was the last thing he did. 

 

* * *

**Three weeks later.**

* * *

 

Irritation rippled up his body as Levi stepped out of the meeting with a deep scowl. He vaguely knew he should be pleased (Hanji was practically jumping for joy by his side) but all he could feel was anger that it had taken _this_ long. 

Three weeks to get permission to venture past those walls, like Scouts were supposed to do. Three weeks to finally be told 'oh right that abomination Titan that saved all our asses, that we owe all our lives to, yeah you should probably go have a look into that.'

Three weeks for his Titan to get further and further away.  

Levi huffed out a deep sigh and turned to Hanji who appeared to be doing some odd form of jumping jacks in the middle of the hall. 

"How soon can we leave?" He interrupted the fool, tugging them back onto the earth again as they blinked owlishly down at him. 

"Well, Erwin's got all the supplies ready. So probably tomorrow. He's got the new recruits ready and everything- which, by the way, has gotta be our biggest haul in years! Can you believe that Levi?! They _must_ be joining because of our Beserker!"

"Should have known Eyebrows would be ready this quick," Levi murmurs.  

"Yes! He got me to build the wire cage pretty much as soon as he found out about our little Titan _and_  got me to work out where he could've gone! I told him-"

"I know idiot. You've already told me," Levi grumbled as they walk down the stairs, Hanji basically hanging off his shoulder as they continued to ramble on about all the different forests they knew about in his ear. 

As much as it irritated him, it made sense. A forest was where they first found the Titan so it wasn't too much of a leap to assume that the thing liked trees for some godsforsaken reason. 

Levi sighed again as they stepped outside of the building, looking up the overcast sky then over to the wall towering high above him. 

Soon he'd be passing through that gate once more. Soon he'd be riding across the plains doing what he did best...

Soon he'd find his Titan. 

 

* * *

 

Leaves rustled in the wind, branches juddering and squeaking as they rubbed against each other. It was loud, almost deafening to sensitive ears... and it all felt like a whisper to Eren. 

**Everything** felt silent. 

_No wonder with the cool weather and overcast sky_ , the Hunter told himself, rough bark flaking under his fingers as he ran his hands over the creaking branch he was perched on. 

There was no bird-singing. There should have been, even in this weather; it was a forest with many places for living things to make their lives, but there wasn't a single song... or if there was the Hunter couldn't hear it.  

He  _could_  hear the scratching of his nails over the bark though. He could feel the odd piece of lichen and moss and see their muted bursts of green over the greyish- reddish bark of the great tree. 

He took in a deep breath of air and released it slowly over his tongue. There were no strong scents in the wind but for the faint taste of old, blood infused steam, the stale hints of the distant animals and the once fresh and biting taste of growing life and rich earth. 

It was funny how these smells tasted bland now. He should have rejoiced in them, he'd lived a long time in the company of trees and animals, so why-

The Hunter took another shuddering breath in. 

_The taste **is**  good,_ he told himself. His nose didn't twitch, his mouth didn't water. It was a simple scent, safe. 

His hands stilled in its task of tearing bark off of the tree. 

Yeah...it was safe. 

The hunter buried his head in his hands. 

 

* * *

 

"Two gas canisters,"

"Check."

"Spare blades,"

"Check."

"...Perfume,"

"Ch- check."

"Spare cables..."

There was silence. 

"Cables Armin?" Mikasa looked up from her own equipment, a soft frown eating at her face. She didn't say anything though as she watched her friend quietly stare at the vial of purple tinted liquid in his hands. 

"...Cables," she repeated once more, eyes intent on his as he blinked and refocused on the world around him. 

"Oh... uh, check."

Mikasa sighed, pulling a wound up real of cables and shoving them in front of Armin. 

"Check," she told him, as her friend started and looked in his bag where there turned out to be no spare cables. 

"Sorry Mika, I'm- I'm a little distracted," Armin murmured, running a slender hand through his too long hair. 

"...Just make sure you're not distracted when we're out there," was Mikasa's only response to this. 

The two friends fell into silence, looking around them as their fellow squad members bustled about, packing rations and extra equipment into their already bursting bags and rapidly muttering to each other in quiet, nervous voices. 

In Armin and Mikasa's little bubble of silence, those voices sounded muffled and distorted. They didn't notice that many of those quiet conversations were about them... and the person most dear to them. 

"So he's really gone?"

"No one's been able to find him. It's been three weeks now. He's not the sort to desert."

"Didn't think he was the type to die either though... Don't you think-"

"It's been three weeks, nothing's been found."

"He must have been swallowed whole-"

"Shut up! Shut the hell up!" 

Mikasa and Armin looked up at that, attention caught on the familiar figure of Jean glaring down a group of soldiers not far from them. They scattered like roaches as Jean glowered at them and tightened his fists. 

Then all that anger from his form abruptly faded away, to be replaced by a bright flash of searing pain and empathy as he caught sight of Armin and Mikasa, silently staring at him. 

They turned their faces away, away from the clear expression of grief so heavily imprinted on his face. They found they hadn't been able to look most of their friends in the face over the last few weeks. 

"We-we're heading out soon," came the hesitant hitching voice of Sasha, gazing at them both with a horribly blank expression in her eyes. 

She was in mourning. 

Mikasa and Armin stared at their hands and nod as one, gathering their things about them and standing tall. 

"Let's go," Mikasa quietly spoke, offering Sasha a quick nod before walking off. 

Armin trailed in her wake, only for his steps to hitch and stall as she turned and he saw the expression on his oldest friend's face. 

"We're going to find him Armin," Mikasa told him, raising her hands to his shoulders, grip soft but firm. "We _will_ bring him back."

Armin gaped at her for a moment in shock before a similar expression enveloped his features. 

"Y-yeah. Let's bring him home."

The two friends gazed at each other with steady, determined smiles turning at their lips.

"Let's bring him home."

 

* * *

 

The Hunter swung his legs out over the massive abyss below his makeshift shelter.  A huff of hot air escaped his lips as he carefully pushed his hand out over the piece of wood once more. He hummed to himself while splinters of the branch flecked up around his rough hand as he finished smoothing out the crude bow. 

The soft hum faded away as the Hunter looked up from his work and took in the quiet movement of the trees around him and the far off caw of a single crow. 

He forced himself to focus back on his work, haltingly trying to hum again only to stop as he heard the soft echo to it. His brow furrowed and he brought his hand across the bow once more, harder than he would have usually. 

Tying on a piece of spare wire to make the draw string, he slung his creation over his shoulder, along with the bundle of crude stone-headed arrows he had made. They weren't perfect but they'd be okay for simple practice. 

The Hunter stood, unconcerned by the shuddering, squeaking creak under his feet as the thin branch complained against this movement, and aimed his first arrow at a tree stump far far below. The smudge of brown wood was barely even visible as a dim speck to normal eyes in the dim evening light. 

The Hunter was aiming for the second ring from the center. He narrowed his eyes, waited a moment to account for the wind and let go. 

It didn't hit the target. 

The Hunter puffed out another gusty sigh, staring at the arrow deeply embedded in the fourth ring of the stump. At least the arrow was quite durable, even if it wasn't as aerodynamic as he wanted. Perhaps if he-

A far off, resonating crash of tree against tree broke the Hunter from his musings. 

...Okay, that one was definitely not his fault this time. 

He jumped up from his perch, pushing his light form from branch to branch as quick as a strike of lightning, to get to a vantage point and assess the cause of the fallen tree. 

Then he saw it- or rather: then he saw her. A enormous blond haired titan was running through his forest, looking around itself with cold, almost imperceivable frustration in it's eyes. But to the Hunter, who had been kept company only by mindless smiling teeth for most of his life, the small hint of emotion on that Titan face's screamed out at him like metal on metal. 

_It can feel... It is thinking..._

How...? 

He made ready to put his hand to his mouth, to go after it but then the crashing of trees drew his attention once more. 

No, it wasn't another thinking Titan, much to the Hunter's disappointment. Instead it was the usual mashed up rush of Titans, seemingly running after the blond one as they scrabbled through her wake. 

No, they weren't getting her. He looked down at the bow and arrows in his hands then back at the horde. 

... _Moving targets._

He could do it. He could hunt and go after that strange Titan at the same time. 

So caught up in the happy prospect of a new wave of distractions, the Hunter didn't even scent the air before descending. 

If he had, he may have smelt the human blood. 

 

* * *

 

_Fuck forests_ _._ Levi thought to himself as he fired his wires forward once more and cannoned forward, hair whipping backwards in sharp contrast to the steady movement of his body against the forceful rush of air. 

Forests could all burn to hell for all Levi cared. 

_Everything_ had gone to hell as soon as they got remotely close to the place, as soon as that female Titan appeared. 

Why had he tried to follow the thing? Why didn't he wait for more back up like Petra tried to tell him?

Well... he knew why _really_. The female Titan was new. It was different. Just like his Titan. So it was logical to assume that maybe they were somehow linked... Well perhaps not so much logical as possible, but how could he let that chance to find him slip away?

... He had anyway though. It only took him half an hour to loose sight of the aberrant and find himself alone and- as much as he hated to admit it- lost in the godsforsaken clump of trees. 

_Shit_. _This is just-_

Levi started as he felt his gear shudder on his hips with a wrenching, ear piercing sound of metal on fucked up metal. 

_Shit shit shit._

Without hesitating, he quickly dropped down to the nearest branch of one of the giant-ass trees surrounding him. 

It creaked slightly under the added weight but not enough to cause concern. No, what Levi _was_ concerned about was the fact that his cables weren't retracting. 

He tapped the black box experimentally and tentatively squeezed the triggers on his blades. When an ominous white light started flickering from the box, he quickly decided to stop. 

Damn, if it had been anything else he would have been able to- well... probably not fix it, but he would've been able to at least cobble something together to keep him going for a bit, but black boxes were another matter. No one new how to fix the things, only those who made the bloody things understood what the hell went into them. It was _just his luck_ he got the messed up one. 

Levi mildly wondered what it was with him and forests. 

He looked around himself at the darkening woodland with a disdainful curl of his lip, momentarily considering shouting out, seeing if there was anyone nearby. The problem with that marvellous plan was that Titans had fucking ears too and with his luck being the way it was he'd probably call over ten at once. If he _was_ lucky though, he-

It was then that Levi stopped considering his options, instead sharply focusing on his surroundings with a faint downturn of his brow. He hadn't heard anything but something felt off...

There was a quiet rush of wind, the noise from it almost over powered by the squeaky creaking sound of the trees moving around him. 

...Wait.

And Levi was moving, jumping up to another branch just in time to avoid the meaty paw that smashed through both silence and wood. He glared down from his new perch as the bloated digits of a Titan scrabbled around in the space he occupied not seconds before. 

_Well fuck luck then._

He prepared his blades, quickly wrapping the loose cables around his arms so to use them as a lasso if worst came to worst.

The worst didn't come though. 

Instead a stranger did. A hooded figure swinging through the forest at the speed of sound, burying their blades into the Titan's neck with a sound like a wet meat grinder. 

The soldier dropped to the next branch below Levi, light footsteps echoing the thudding crash of his kill upon the earth. The figure took a moment to survey their kill before checking the steaming blades in their hands. 

A faint beam of grey light, streaming down from the canopy, caught on the angle of that blade, sending the soft ray of light into it's owner's shadowed face. Out of the hooded darkness, two ocean eyes sparkled out. 

And Levi was moving before the thought to even crossed his mind. 


	19. A long time coming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Uh hi...   
>  So... been a while huh... I um... well it's the chapter you've been all waiting for. And oh my gosh, thanks so much for all you guys who've been waiting so nicely. All the comments I've gotten are amazing and have really helped me keep the motivation for writing.   
> The delay for this chapter is half because of my sister having a very cute (but angry) baby, but mostly down to writers block I'm afraid. My lovely beta, bloody.pinprick (cool name right :D ) has been amazingly patient with me so HUGE kudos for them as well.   
> I'll hopefully be updating my other story soon too, and I have a ton of ideas for future projects as well. I'll try to put the focus on the stories I've got going right now though.   
> I hope you all enjoy this and thanks to everyone who has left kudos and comments. I really can't explain how much it means to me :)

 

 

* * *

The Hunter sighed, lowering his blade and hitching it onto his belt once more. Bows, while fun to use, seemed rather ineffectual against Titans of their size. It was like using splinters as a spear. He'd only just been able to fell one Titan with it, and that may have been just a lucky shot. He had been much less lucky with the next Titan when it started flailing its arms around, trying to get the arrow out of its neck, striking the Hunter in the face as a result. A blade truly  _did_  seem to be the best weapon against them—well, second best in the Hunter's opinion. 

He turned away from his kill, trying once again to wipe the coppery splash of his own blood from his face to scent the air for more Titans. It was no good though, he'd just have to wait for his nose to stop being broken before he could find any more. 

All thought of the hunt were halted though with a soft, rush of air and a hushed light thump against his branch. He tensed, hand leaping to his blade as he spun around to—

To freeze as his brain caught up with his eyes, recognising the figure that had lithely dropped down before him. 

The Hunter stumbled back and froze again, hands outstretched to his side, completely unmoving but for the quick rise and fall of his chest. 

"You did a good job there, cadet. Are you injured?" the voice breaks the silence. 

Levi's voice. The Hunter had heard it before, of course, but never like this, so close, so- so-

Too close. The Hunter blinked and took a step back as his Human took a step towards him, then another. 

The Hunter kept walking back, eyes unwaveringly fixed on the faint furrow forming on his Human's brow. 

"Stop moving back, idiot, I'm not gonna do anything to you!" snapped Levi, finally stopping to fix the Hunter in place with a heavy glare. 

The Hunter had to hold back a snort of disbelief as images flashed through his mind of his fierce and bloodthirsty human. 

The brief spark of humour in the Hunter's eyes fizzled out as his attention turned back to the present.

_Earth, I've got to get out of here._

He turned and readied his cables to shoot off, only to find himself being pulled back by the hood of his cloak, loosing his balance and falling to his knees. 

"Gross. Don't you know how to wash?"

The Hunter twisted in his cloak, looking up at the pale hand that gripped tightly onto his earth and sweat encrusted cloak, in sharp contrast to the disgusted tone of voice, then looking up further. 

His human was strangely silent, staring at him with shadowed eyes and a grim cast to his mouth. It was like staring at a statue. Then he shifted, a faint beam of grey light illuminating his face as he tilted his head, eyes roaming over the Hunter's wide-eyed face. 

"It's  _you."_

Panic stirred in the Hunter's belly, clawing its way up his throat and into his voice to make a sound curiously similar to a cross between an old door hinge and a broken flute.  

"You're that kid from Trost, the one who was staring at me like... a moron," Levi continued, staring oddly at the Hunter as his ears registered the odd squawk coming from him. 

"...Oh," the Hunter simply said, blinking rapidly. Then, oddly, a smile curled at his mouth. It was brief, only lasting a second but it had still been there, not that the Hunter noticed. 

Levi did though. It was his turn to blink now as his eyes shuttered and his hand dropped from his death grip on his hood. 

A pale hand swung forward towards the Hunter, silently offering help to get up. 

"What's your name?" 

It took a while and an impatient sigh from Levi for the Hunter to finally take that hand, his skin rough and burning hot in Levi's cold but tight grip. 

"...Jæger..." came the quiet reply as the Hunter rose up to stand at a foot higher than Levi. 

"Jæger huh..." Levi murmurs, before looking down sharply, frown heavy on his brow as they both notice the Hunter hadn't let go of his hand yet. 

The Hunter seemed to get the message quickly though, yanking back his hand as if it was on fire. 

"You weren't recruited for this mission," Levi stated with a sigh, prompting an expression on the Hunter's face that screamed ' _how did you know_?', clearly visible even in the dim, late evening light. "It's obvious. Your cloak is from the garrison not the scouts. Also you were trying to run away. I can't think of another reason you would do something so stupid."

The Hunter shifted slightly, rearranging his cloak across his shoulders, seemingly considering his next words carefully as he fought down his embarrassment.  

"... I uh- I want- wanted to join."

The Hunter winced slightly as he saw Levi's thoughtful expression at his slight accent and the way he stumbled over his words. The Hunter didn't know why it was so important that Levi  _didn't_  notice, that he  _didn't_  think him simple like the others did. 

He opened his mouth to try again but was cut to the chase as Levi started to speak. 

"I'm interested to know why you would stow away with your skill level. It's not like the scouts don't take criminals into their—" Abruptly, Levi stopped speaking, brow slightly furrowed as if in thought. 

The Hunter didn't have an answer to that, simply staring at Levi with wide, silent eyes until his human sighed irritably and looked away. 

"...Why did you come here?" the Hunter finally asked, voice stronger as his mind slowly cleared of the fog of fear and  _Levi_ , finally taking a moment to consider the reason for his human's presence. 

"...You came with us even though you didn't know what we are doing?" he questioned in a dead, toneless voice. 

The Hunter considered this for a moment then nodded. 

Levi rolled his eyes to the heavens, and sat down on the branch. 

"May as well tell you, it's not like we can go anywhere in the dark. I think most of the Titans should be ‘sleeping’ now... or whatever the hell it is they do."

The Hunter slowly, hesitantly, lowered himself to sit next to his human, eyes tracing over his form as he took in the fact that this was really happening. He was talking with his Human, sat right next to him, like they were equals or something. Not that they  _really_  were, but... 

Those peculiar, buzzing thoughts were cut to the quick with the next few words his human spoke. 

"We're here for the Titan that sealed the breach in Trost... You've heard of  _that_  right? ...How deep have you got your head up your arse if you haven't heard of that?" 

"I heard of that!" the Hunter returned, snapping out of his hundred yard gaze, before taking a slow hitching breath and turning to face Levi on their perch. He could feel Levi watching as he chewed on the corner of his lips, hesitating over the words building on his tongue. 

"What do you plan to do with it?"

By the expression on Levi's face, that obviously wasn't the question he was expecting. 

"...Not sure. Question it, train it, keep it as a pet. It seems vaguely intelligent." 

Silence fell. 

"How do you know you will trust it? What if it turns on you? If it is bad would... would you kill it?"

Levi stared out into the darkness for a long time, silent. Then:

"Do you always talk to all your superiors so casually?" he asked, voice painfully mild.

"...No, sir," the Hunter replied after a long pause. 

"Good, I'm starting to get an idea of why you had to sneak into our regiment."

There was no answer, just a deep sigh of breath. 

"Hey, brat! You falling asleep on me?"

"No, sir."

Levi clicked his tongue, shifting around to attach his loose wires to the branch they were perched on before facing the Hunter again. 

"Get some sleep, I'll take first watch, but keep your distance. You smell like shit."

There was a faint puff of amused breath. 

"No, I will take the first watch m- Sir. It is hard to wake me once I am asleep." 

"If you run away while I'm resting, I'll castrate you."

The Hunter decided not to ask what that meant, taking the tone in and fighting down an odd, twisted smile. 

"I won't leave you, sir."

The Hunter could just about see Levi frowning at this, but the man made no comment, instead shifting back and leaning against the trunk of the tree. 

The seconds of silence between them stretched and grew, turning into minutes, and those minutes stretched and warped until the Hunter could not say how much time had passed. 

He could say how he spent it though. 

Levi's eyelids fluttered slightly, his thin lips parted with soft breaths. It was hard to see him in the dark, but the Hunter saw him anyway, drinking in the unlikely proximity of his human. 

It felt odd, watching him like this. It was as if he had stepped back through years and miles, into his old drey as he kept his human safe. 

The Hunter breathed in slowly, gaze unfaltering as he kept his vigil. How peculiar it felt...

It felt like the Hunter's clothes were too tight, like his arms and legs were too big for his body, like- like-

Like he had been numb with cold but was slowly warming up from the chest out. 

The Hunter looked back out at the dark with a soft confused furrow to his brow. 

Why did it feel like that? Why did it feel so odd? 

* * *

 

A faint light streamed down from the gaps in the canopy above. Levi squinted, shut his eyes, then tried again. It was light. It was day. 

Levi almost jumped up from his resting place only to still as the figure on the other side of the branch noticed his movements and looked towards him. 

Grey met ocean green and both of them froze, unmoving in that prolonged moment when their gazes met. 

Levi had remembered those eyes, even in that dim, darkening light from last night when he had recognised the brat. That smiling boy from Trost... 

The moment ended as Jæger blinked and looked down at whatever he was holding, a light, slightly perplexed, frown on his brow. 

Levi continued to stare. In the dark it had been hard to take in everything, but even then he'd been able to tell that something was off. In the day, it was a hundred times more obvious, especially with how Jæger was lit up in a beam of golden light streaming down from above. 

For one thing, he was looked much older somehow than that smiling figure a month ago. His eyes were hollowed out by the shadows beneath them, his cheeks were dipped in and pale, as if he hadn't eaten or seen the sun for a long time, and his lips were pale and frozen still, no longer turned up in that soft, beaming grin he thought he saw last night. In all, he didn't look good.

_He must have lost something very big in the battle of Trost_ , Levi found himself thinking as he stared at those shadows under his eyes again. 

Wait... shadows... sunbeams...

...That idiot hadn't woke him up! He had spent the whole night awake and on watch! 

Levi glowered and stood up, only to pause as a green cloak fell from him to the branch. 

He looked from the fallen, dirt-encrusted cloak then back to Jæger with an incredulous glare. 

"You didn't wake me. You were supposed to wake me."

The moron had the audacity to just stare blankly up at him in return, saying nothing as he strapped the odd, curving stick in his hands onto his back, not looking away from Levi's gaze once as he did so. 

"Your reflexes are going to be off. Now I'll have to wait for you to get your fucking rest," Levi explained in a slow, almost hissing tone. 

Jæger finally looked away, only to stare up at the gap in the canopy above, serving as the source of the light streaming down on him, casting him in a golden glow. 

"Sorry."

Levi frowned angrily, mouth opening to chew the cadet out, then Jæger turned his face away from the light and faced him with a warm smile. 

"I do not have to sleep if I can not do it. You need it more than me." 

Jæger seemed to freeze at his own words, along with Levi at seeing the earlier upturn to those pale lips. 

"...This is yours," Levi eventually managed to say, throwing the cloak at Jaeger's head, only for him to catch it mid air. "Don't ever put that disgusting thing on me again." 

Jæger nodded softly then stood up, fastening it around his neck as he looked back down at the ground below. 

Levi joined him, staring down at the small Titan mournfully pawing at their tree. It was minuscule and silent, and he wondered how long it had been there. 

Levi looked up again to see Jæger staring down at it with a soft sigh. He had  _such_  an old look in his eyes, one Levi really hadn't expected last night.  Levi didn't know why he was surprised by it though, his voice hadn't exactly been full of cheer in the dark. 

Maybe that image of Jæger in the crowds had stuck with him, like that smile from a few moments ago, all full of stupid hope and...  whatever the hell it was that made his eyes shine like that...

Jæger interrupted those peculiar thoughts with a quiet, strangely phrased utterance on how they should go find everyone else now, that they were to the east of their position. 

"How can you tell?" Levi asked, eyebrows raising in mild disbelief. 

Jæger was silent for a moment, then he raised his hand to point at the small Titan below as it was walking away in that direction. 

"There must be many humans that way."

_Humans?_

Levi pondered the word choice as Jaeger readied his belt, checking over it before turning to face Levi. 

"My gear is broken. I’m not going anywhere with this and you're not carrying me," Levi stated in a flat tone.

"I don't need to," Jæger replied, giving Levi a slightly bewildered look. 

Levi returned this same expression as he turned his eyes down to the belt and found that the cables had retracted. 

 He squeezed the handles of his blades. The cables whipped out and in as if they were greased by butter.  

"Jæger... did you do something to—" 

But Jæger was already shooting out his cables, swinging over to the next tree and perching on the branch as he waited for Levi to follow.  

Could he have-? No, a newbie garrison idiot couldn't have got so close to him, even asleep, let alone fix  _that_  mess. It probably just needed a rest... probably. 

Levi shot after him, quickly drawing level with him as they made their way through the forest, flying high above the many Titans, following their path. 

Then they came across a large Titan, desperately ploughing through the forest with a crazed salivating expression on its long face, and Jaeger's reaction to it was concerning to say the least. 

The little shithead almost gave Levi a heart attack as he dropped like a stone and swung in a jagged, jerking circle, blades whirling out in a wide arch as he hacked down into the twisted neck of the red-headed titan. Then he just shot up again to join Levi with a dull expression on his face, carrying on as if nothing had just happened. 

"Stop, Jæger," Levi called, pausing on a forked branch of one of the taller redwoods. 

Jæger quickly turned and dropped down to join him, a slightly confused expression on his face.

"What the fuck was that?"

The confusion deepened on Jaeger's face. 

"You just put yourself in unnecessary danger without permission, wasting gas supplies."  _And giving me a panic attack._

"It is- was a larger one. It was best to kill it now, it later on be a problem," Jæger stated slowly. 

Levi gave the kid an unimpressed look, which seemed to sink into Jaeger's thick skull as his confusion morphed into mild worry. 

"... Don't you kill Titans?" he asked quietly. "Did I do it wrong?"

Ugh! What?! Levi sucked in a deep breath and willed himself to be patient. 

"No. You  _are_  right. We "kill Titans" but not all of them, not at the expense of the mission. The deviant Titan is that size. What if you killed it by accident?"

"That wasn't the deviant," was the idiot's only response to that, but he was looking at Levi with an intense expression which perhaps showed he was somewhat paying attention. 

"Look, shithead. Don't attack without my say so, unless someone's life is immediately in danger."

"But I can do it."

Levi's glower deepened and Jæger quickly shut up, staring at him with wide eyes before tearing himself away and looking down at the horde of Titans which seemed to have changed direction slightly. 

Jæger looked down, scratching at his matted hair, then looked back with his stupidly large eyes. 

"Sorry," he murmured. 

...Great. Now Levi felt like the shithead.  _Just brilliant_. 

"Look, you're doing okay, Jæger. You've got talent, I'll give you that. When we've finished this mission I'll see you put on a proper squad in the survey. Hell, I wouldn't mind seeing you on mine if you learn to take orders."

"...What?"

_What?_  Levi thought as his own words caught up with him.  

Then Jæger snorted out a breath and looked at him. It was such a strangely familiar action that Levi stopped questioning his own words. 

"You will not want me."

Far below them the Titans stopped shuffling around, heads turning sharply to the west. Levi and Eren did not notice.  

"...I wouldn't ask if I didn't."

Jæger gave Levi an incredulous look at that, before looking down and biting on his lips. 

"Levi, I-" and he stopped, nostrils flaring and eyes widening with horror as he looked behind Levi. 

"EREN!" screamed a voice. 

Levi turned around to see a black haired woman land heavily on the branch, staring around in panicked desperation. 

He looked back around to ask Jæger if he knew this maniac, only to find empty space. 

Jæger was gone. 

A blond boy landed after her, quieter but no less desperate in his movements. 

"I saw him. Eren was here," she tells him with a choked voice. "He can't have gone far, let's go."

She made to move forward but soon found she couldn't. Levi released the cloak as the woman spun around, fists pulled tight into her body and ready to strike.

"Mikasa, don't!" the blond one shouted, grabbing the girl—this Mikasa—by her shoulder and sending Levi a well deserved, terrified look. 

" ** _What. is. going. on?_** " Levi ground out. The only answer he got was silence. 

"You are going to tell me how you know that kid," Levi stated. "Then you are going to explain why he ran away and finally you will tell me **who he is**." It was obvious it was Jæger they had been looking for, only an idiot couldn't see it. That fucker gave him a false name. 

Levi was going to hang that idiot up by his ankles and use him as Titan bait... After he was done doing the same to these two. 

Several shouts sounded off as a larger group of teenagers dropped down onto the branches around him, making the Titans below spin around in delirious delight. 

Levi mentally amended his punishment to include them too. 

"Mikasa! Armin! What the fuck, you guys?!" shouted a tall, lanky one with two toned hair. 

"We've gotta stick together, you idiots!" shouted the short one with a buzz cut, glowering at the Mikasa and Armin with all the power of a wet towel. 

Levi took a step forwards and showed him how a real glower was done. He didn't even need to tell them to stand to attention. 

" **Who is Eren**?"

The teenagers positively goggled at him from their stiff-backed salutes. 

"Eren?" towel-boy asked. "Why are you asking about—"

Levi turned to look at him and the teen's voice seemed to curl up and die somewhere. Probably in the same place his brain had. 

"Who is he?" Levi repeated. 

A red-eyed, red-haired woman turned towards him to hesitantly answer. 

"He's… He was from our old squad. He uh- he died in the battle of Trost."

"Damn suicidal simpleton," muttered the tall two-toned one. 

From the corner of his eye Levi could clearly see the pained look the blond boy and blacked haired girl exchanged. He didn't address it though, not yet.  

"What did he look like?"

"Uh- wild brown hair, normal size, quite muscly underneath his clothes, sir," said the one with a plat and wide eyes. 

"He always had an idiotic wide eyed expression on."

"He h-had the most gorgeous eyes."

"Blue-green right?" asked Levi, turning to look at the first two soldiers now.  

The other teenagers shifted uneasily, mouths opening to ask the burning question. 

"He's not dead," the blond suddenly burst out. 

The small group seemed to deflate, looking at Armin with pained pity in their eyes. 

"...Armin, I'm sorry... we looked for him, for three weeks. They didn't find all the bodies and he- he was missing in action..."

Mikasa and Armin looked at each other then turned back to the group, mouths opening. 

"Corporal Levi!" shouted a new voice, or rather, a familiar voice. 

"Yes, Petra?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of the two cadets as he spoke. 

"Corporal! We've been attacked! The female Titan has decimated the outliers! The commander needs you." 

Levi looked away from the two teens, meeting Petra's panicked gaze without pause. The mission could not fail. There was no time to think about that brat. There were more important things to do. The mission could not fail. 

But he hesitated, Levi hesitated and turned to the blond and black haired soldier. "You two, come with me." 

There was no time to listen to the arguments and protests building on their lips. He quelled them with a look and pointed forwards. "Move."

They moved. Reluctant and hesitant, but they followed his command. 

Levi didn't though as he sent one last glance up into the trees, to his surroundings. Sighing, he turned to leave, before throwing over his shoulder ten words that stilled the teenagers breathing and froze them to the spot. 

"I just spoke to an idiot with that exact description."

Their eyes widened as their voices seemed to dry up in their throats. 

"W-what?!" 

But Levi was already flying. 

* * *

 

They stood not fifty feet below the Hunter, staring around themselves with an air of frozen surprise. 

Connie was sharing a startled look with Jean as Sasha spun on the spot, eyes scanning her surroundings intently, her herb and pine scent winding up into the canopy with every jerky movement. 

Soon they left though, taking their achingly familiar mix of scents with them, shouting out something as they moved, something just on the cusp of hearing. 

It sounded sort of like his na- old name. 

_Stupid_. Why didn't he expect they would come after him? He should have run further, he- he-

_I shouldn't have run at all... I never should have come to this place..._

The forest was peaceful and beautiful, it was full of achingly tall trees that made him feel small even when in his larger form, and it was driving him mad.

When he had first seen the crop of trees he thought only of resting there for the night but, on stepping into the leafy and moss strewn woodland, he found himself rooted to the spot. 

It was beautiful and he didn't want to leave. He didn't want to go further on where there wasn't- 

... He knew its beauty wasn't the reason he didn't leave. 

Truth be told, his old forest was more grand, much larger and so much more fantastic with its hidden treasures, complex sights and almost endless reach to the East.

But he couldn't make himself leave. To take another step away felt like... felt like he would be leaving something behind  _forever_...

He wasn't stupid though. Even if he couldn't name it, he knew why he didn't leave, and now this reason was coming back to bite him in the ass. 

...But he didn't want his only company to be the moans of the wind or the soft warbles of the birds. He didn't want to be alone again. 

Oh, and for a moment he wasn't.  **He**  was there. Levi, his human. 

He was so different from how the Hunter had imagined him but, at the same time, he was so very familiar. 

A smile curled at Eren's mouth at the thought of Levi's disgruntled look and how low and deep his voice was when he chided him about speaking too familiarly. 

...Yeah it was important to remember that. Levi didn't know him. Levi should  _never_  know him because then he'd look at Eren with furious eyes instead of irritated ones, or  _worse_  he'd look at him with blank eyes, like the gaze he held for the Titans he killed. 

The Hunter felt his hands clench, staring straight ahead as he released a long breath, banging the back of his head against the wood and closing his eyes. 

But... How nice was it was to speak to his human.... Even though he knew he shouldn't do it again... He really shouldn't...

And he couldn't. Not now that Mika- that  _they_  had seen him... not now that Levi would-

The Hunter's dark thoughts were pierced by a sudden sound that he had not heard since coming out to the forest, the one sound he didn't miss. 

Screams. 

The Hunter shot off his gear, swooping round to face the horrible sounds, following the sharp rush of bloodstained wind, hidden from sight as he flew high above in the canopy. 

As he drew closer, the soft scent of earth and little growing things became heavily dowsed in blood, stained with bodily fluids and drowned by the heady stench of flesh. 

The Hunter forced himself to focus, shaking his head as moved forwards and saw the first of the fallen humans. Was this the 'decimation of the outliers'?

...Something was wrong with what he was seeing but wh-

His movements stilled as he took in an old human below, palms facing the sky, outstretched to either side. The stillness of his chest and the expression of terror on his face making it clear he did not sleep. 

The Hunter looked further on, to where a woman had been trampled into the ground, to when a young man with burns on his arms had been pushed through a trunk. The Hunter looked at them and he realised. 

None of the humans had been eaten. None of them. Not one. 

Why.  ** _Why_**. 

Seeing the humans below, frozen in their false slumber, he felt rage bubble and surge up inside of him like a tidal wave. 

Some of their eyes were open, some of them were closed. All of their chests were still. None of them slept. None of them. 

The Hunter's eyes were fire as he flew through the trees. 


End file.
